


A String of Endless Red

by Aissu



Category: Free!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Kidnapping, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mpreg, Multi, NaNoWriMo 2016, One-Sided Attraction, a small topping of jealousy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-09-06 22:01:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 44,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8771005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aissu/pseuds/Aissu
Summary: When the proposal from King Rin comes, Rei accepts without much hesitation. Meanwhile, the threat of the Shigino grows in the horizon, and the future remains uncertain.   "Our child will be the seal on the alliance between our Kingdoms. An eternal vow."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I put every writing project on hold to write this monster fic, because I fantasise about RinRei too much. I wrote this for NaNoWriMo, so rest assured that this fic will be completed. I've taken a lot of inspiration from arranged marriage fics I've read, as well as all the material I researched on while I was writing. 
> 
> It's unbeta-ed so I will post successive chapters after a few rounds of editing. There's a lot of clichés and the story is set in a quasi-medieval setting filled with magic. I hope all of you enjoy, and I hope there'll be more who join the RinRei fandom even though we're kind of drying up ;;; 
> 
> Please leave comments/ your thoughts so far :"))

Rei was tiptoeing out of the Great Hall, having nearly made his escape when he was grabbed by the arm and pulled in the opposite direction. His vehement protests were all but futile, and he was thrown into his bedchamber. 

His brother’s face was forbidding. “If you try to escape, I’ll tell Mother to bar your entry to the West Wing.” 

“Fine,” Rei grumbled. He tugged the edge of his tunic to pull it off before the maids came rushing in to dress him in frills and all manners of abhorrent clothing. With a satisfied nod, his brother shut the door, and Rei could hear the faint ‘click' of his boots echoing in the hallway. 

As he hopped into grey pants, the bustle outside reached his ears. Downstairs, the pots and pans clattered, and cheerful singing drifted in through the open window. Rei tripped over his pants when the door to his room flew open, and a pair of Pixie maids glided in, chattering in obvious delight. 

“Prince Rei! We’ve found the perfect clothes for you!” 

The blue-haired man eyed them warily, his gaze shifting to the purple vest one of them was holding in her hand. The patterns on the clothing swirled and twisted all the way to the edges, before giving way to a lighter shade of violet. It was rather beautiful, Rei conceded. He held his pants tight as they fussed over him and helped him to change into the vest. To finish the look, they clasped his cloak over his shoulders. 

“You look absolutely fetching!” the shorter of the two grinned, brushing a strand of cobalt blue to the side. “Your family is waiting in the Great Hall. Off you go!” 

Rei was chased out as fast as he had been shoved in. He took a longing glance at the West Wing before heading to the Great Hall. Around him, the castle staff was rushing about in an even greater frenzy than usual. It was, after all, the first day of the Summer Solstice: the day they commemorated another year of peace. He pushed open the doors to the Great Hall and the courtiers who were present stopped where they were and bowed. He nodded in acknowledgement, scanning the hall for his family. He saw his mother and father standing at the side, engaging in conversation. He greeted them, resolute in avoiding the knowing twinkle in his mother’s eyes. 

“Morning, Rei,” his father grinned, taking a good look at him. “I see you’re up for some celebration.” 

“Not at all,” his brother interjected, lightly jabbing him in the side. “I daresay he’s here to make sure I don’t keep him away from the love of his life.” 

Rei huffed in exasperation. “And how do _you_ plan on engaging the love of your life? I heard she’d be arriving soon.” 

At that, Raiden flushed and ran his hand through his black hair. “I suppose I’ll show her around after we kick off the celebrations.” 

Rei snorted, and his parents laughed at his brother’s bashfulness. It was the first time he would be meeting his fiancée face-to-face but the letters they had exchanged for over a decade were proof of their affection for each other. 

“All right,” the Queen smiled. “Shall we begin, then?” 

They nodded and headed to the balcony overlooking the palace gardens, where the people had gathered. The buzz died down as the King and Queen stood at the front, their sons by their side. 

“Today,” Rei’s father began, “we celebrate yet another year of peace and prosperity that our has blessed our Kingdom. The tragedy that occurred a century ago is a reminder of the fragile balance we have yet to solidify. Keep your hearts and minds open, and accept those who are unlike you. With that,” he joined hands with the Queen, “let the celebrations begin!” 

The crowd broke into cheers, and the Faeriefolk twirled in the air, leaving sprinkles of magic in their wake. 

The King and Queen were living proof of the balance, Rei thought. His mother was of Faerie blood, and his father was a human. His father had married into the family despite the existing prejudice about humankind. He had helped maintain the peace in the Kingdom, alongside the Queen. Along the way, the Faeriefolk had come to accept him as he was.

Rei spent some time in the Hall making small talk with the guests before slipping out into the hallway. It was not that he found the celebrations bothersome, but he would rather spend time in his special room in the West Wing. Experimenting with magic and human inventions had become one of his favourite pastimes. He walked out of the castle and headed to the gardens where there were bound to be fewer people. It was one of his favourite places, and he had often played there as a child before he had discovered alchemy. 

Asters were in full bloom, and the plants looked as if they were dancing in the breeze. The gardener was a dedicated man. His twin sons, whom Rei had met on occasion, were his enthusiastic assistants. The prince took a seat at a granite bench next to the rose bushes further ahead, letting the quiet wash over him. 

It had barely been a few minutes when the world tumbled out of focus, and the incessant chirping of the birds grew distant. Rei gripped his right hand as the searing pain grew like someone had branded him with iron. He bent over, drawing in deep breaths. Sweat collected at his brow and his vision blurred. He swallowed and staggered to his feet, dragging himself out of the garden and towards the castle. He heard shouts in the distance, and someone caught him before he fell forward. 

“Your Highness!” The noise around him grew dim, and through the haze of pain, Rei was aware of the knights helping him get to his bedchamber. There were hushed whispers afterwards, but he blacked out within moments of entering the room. 

*******

When Rei’s eyes fluttered open, his mother was sitting by the bed, leafing through the pages of an old book. He grabbed his hand on instinct, but all he felt was a dull ache. He was turning away when a faint trail of black caught his eye. He traced the black line on the inside of his wrist. It was a spiral of sorts, with leaf-like structures at the side. 

“Rei?” His mother was watching him, her eyebrows furrowed in concern. “How are you feeling?  

“Much better,” he sat up, pushing the quilt off himself. “Although I don’t quite understand what happened.” 

The Queen reached out to embrace him, gently rubbing circles on his back. “Oh, Rei. I don’t know how to explain to you.” 

Rei pulled away slowly, confusion clouding his eyes. “Do you know why, Mother?” 

She nodded, pushing back a lock of her violet hair before she took his hand and ran her fingers over the mark on his wrist. 

“We always talk about the greatest warriors in Faerie history, don’t we? The Battle of Mutare concluded only because Juunin was a Faerie of all the elements. His magic was far beyond ordinary. It was a prophecy of sorts, then, that his mother was marked long before he was conceived. It was a sign that she would bring to the people a child capable of great things.” 

Rei’s striking violet eyes widened. He stared at the mark on his wrist, a plethora of emotions bubbling up within him. “But it can’t be that I…” 

“It is entirely possible. Juunin’s mother was half-human, half-Faerie. Nobody understood the significance at that time, but the Royalty know of it now. There are a few records of such part-Faerie children ever since, but their existence was kept hidden from the world."

Rei fell back against the pillow, and he could feel the beginnings of a headache. “When I presented as a Carrier, I was overcome with joy at the thought of having children. I never foresaw anything like this…” he trailed off. 

His mother squeezed his hands. “You don’t have to worry yourself. Your child will be like others, just blessed with a little more magic. Perhaps it is a good time because Faerie magic is waning and all is as Nature dictates.” 

“Well,” Rei gave the Queen a small smile. “I should worry about a proposal first.” 

The pair chuckled and Rei’s father peeked into the bedchamber. “Is everything alright?” 

Rei nodded. “Please come in, Father.” 

“I heard you mention a proposal,” his father began. Rei blinked. His mother glanced at his father in surprise. It was rare for the King to comment on matters related to marriage and love. 

“Early yesterday, a messenger from Samezuka paid us a visit, bearing a proposal from King Rin. He offers his hand in marriage to you, Rei. I was planning on telling you later, but with everything that’s going on… Perhaps it’s a good time to mention it.” 

Rei digested the words, sieving through memories of a red-haired boy fixing his gaze to the horizon as he shouldered the responsibility of watching over his people. King Rin, the Dauntless Warrior of the Kingdom of Samezuka. He turned the idea around in his head. 

“King Rin… Why would he propose to me?”

 “I daresay there are multiple benefits for his side. If we unite our Kingdoms, the chances of another war become unlikely.” 

Rei understood what was unsaid. There were rumours of trouble brewing in Shigino, where the Battle of Mutare had begun and ended. If it was true, the balance that had taken so long to achieve could be destroyed in a matter of seconds. He had also heard that Samezuka had descended into absolute chaos in the aftermath of the previous King’s death. When his young son, Rin, had taken the throne, the Kingdom was back on track to prosper and grow. If Rei married Rin, the benefits it would bring both Kingdoms were far and wide. The alliance would be the strongest link in their defence.  

“How do you feel?” 

Rei looked at his mother, his heart throbbing. The first and only time he had seen Rin, the resolute prince had left an impression on him. He had known at the very instant that they had locked eyes that Rin would make a great king. Rei had been raised for Court, but he had been given the freedom to explore alchemy and whatever he fancied. If by accepting the proposal, he could learn more about the man and his people, Rei knew he would take the chance. 

“I’ll do it,” he looked at his parents. “I’ll accept the proposal.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to add a little glossary that grows with new terms so y'all won't forget everytime there's an update. 
> 
> **[Glossary]**
> 
> _**MysDun (Mystic Dungeon)** \- A training room for Spellbinders _

As it turned out, accepting a proposal was no easy feat. Rei had been bundled up along with his belongings and made to sit in a corner while the maids bustled about filling his bags with all manners of clothing. He could have sworn he saw one of them sneak in an incense. 

When they were done with the bags, they came for him next. Rei struggled to stay still while the maids rubbed him raw and took care to rub some pleasant-smelling creams on him. His skin was still a faint pink when he joined his family for dinner at the Dining Hall that night. It had been a few days since he had agreed to the proposal and the preparations were finally done to make his way to Samezuka the next morning. 

“Are you all ready to head off?” his brother questioned. Rei nodded, sipping the barley tea that was his mother’s speciality.

“You have to make sure to send us letters occasionally,” his father tapped the table.

“And if your husband isn’t as great as we’ve heard, give him a good whiff of your horrendous potions and come right back,” his brother gave him a sage look. 

“That really defeats the purpose of the marriage,” Rei grinned and they all laughed. 

“Let me know when you’re marrying Princes Chigusa. I’ll come for the ceremony.” 

Raigen nodded. “It’s a three to four-day journey by horseback. If anything crops up, call on a Pixie to send us a message.” 

“I’ll be fine,” Rei’s throat constricted and he fingered the rim of the empty cup. “Thank you.”

“There’s no need to be so melancholy,” his brother responded. “We’ll be coming to the wedding ceremony in a day or two. For now, let us focus on praying for King Rin.” With that, Raigen clasped his hands together solemnly. Rei sent a blast of air in his brother’s direction and the older prince countered it with a playful breeze, whipping everyone’s hair out of place.

“Boys!” Queen Akemi exclaimed, her face a mixture of exasperation and fondness. The King pushed his chair closer to the Queen’s and took cover behind her. Laughter filled the Dining Hall for the rest of the night as Rei and Raigen relived their childhood pulling their reluctant parents into the mess. 

When Rei awoke the next morning, the maids were drawing the curtains back. It was only daybreak and outside, it was still dark. He changed into the clothes laid out for him, bearing the insignia of the Ryuugazaki Kingdom. Next to his robe, he saw a silver bracelet. He picked it up and traced the twisting links. When he slipped it on his wrist, the mark appeared to dissolve before vanishing completely from sight. The bracelet would help him hide the mark, his mother had told him the night before. He clasped the cloak around his shoulders and stepped out, taking a last glance at his room before closing the door behind him. 

When he walked out, a carriage was ready. A footman helped to pile his bag of potions and alchemy books to the back while Rei big his family farewell. He hugged each of them tightly, the reality of the situation hitting him all too hard.

The Queen’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “You’ve grown up so much. I have absolute faith that your husband will come to love you as much as we do.” She pressed a kiss to his bowed forehead and Rei pulled away from the warmth of her embrace, his eyes burning.

When the farewells were done, he took his seat in the carriage and closed his eyes, resolving to do his best in the Samezuka Kingdom. First things first, making an impression on his betrothed. 

*******

“I, Rei Ryuugazaki, the second in line to the throne of Ryuugazaki, officially accept your proposal.” 

Rei straightened his back and tried to look regal. And fertile. 

King Rin sat on his throne, his mother, the Queen Dowager, on his left and his sister, Princess Gou, on his right. Queen Karen gave him a warm smile and the Princess had been beaming the whole while he had been in the room. When Rei lifted up his eyes to meet Rin’s, he was bewitched by maroon eyes. Rin walked up to him and Rei realised that despite the King’s imposing figure, they were the same height. The courtiers standing around the room watched with bated breath.

“Thank you for accepting, Rei.” Rin bowed, reaching out to grasp Rei’s hand. He pressed a light kiss to the top of his hand. A faint streak of red ran across Rei’s cheeks and Rin gave him a sharp-toothed grin. “We shall begin the preparations for the ceremony immediately. Take your time to accustom yourself to the castle. My sister will be more than willing to show you around when I’m occupied.” 

After meeting his fiancé and exchanging formalities, Rei was ushered to a temporary bedchamber. He sat at the edge of the bed, his heart still racing. Rin’s dashing figure had captured his attention. He could still feel Rin’s calloused hands atop his. He clapped his hands on his cheeks, willing the mental image out of his mind.

The King was an attractive man, and his battle-worn hands and the mellow tone of his voice had an irresistible charm. It was irrational, he knew and he reminded himself that attraction based on physical appearance alone was not indicative of what was to come. A knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts.

When he opened it, Princess Gou stood at the entrance, magenta eyes twinkling. “Hello again, Rei! How are you feeling? Your journey must have been tiring!” 

Rei gave her a tentative smile. “I’m doing alright, Your Highness. It was a relatively smooth ride and I’ve had a warm welcome.” 

“Oh! You can just call me Gou. I’ll be your sister in a while, after all.” 

Rei’s smile grew wider. The Princess’ cheer was infectious.

“If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to take a look around the castle.” 

“A castle tour? For sure,” she laughed, stepping away to let him out of his room. “There’s someone you have to meet before we-” 

“Your Highness!” Rei looked up to see who had interrupted the princess mid-speech. The boy stood in the hallway, his lips drawn into a wide smile. His cheeks were reddened and his golden hair was ruffled like he had run all the way. “It’s a pleasure to meet you!” 

Rei gave him a small bow, eyebrow raised questioningly. 

“I’m Nagisa! I’m your valet, and it’s so awful that I couldn’t be there to greet you when you reached. I was at my family home and when I was on my way back, a wheel broke off the cart! I thought Rin would chew my head off,” he bent over, chest heaving. 

Gou burst into laughter next to him. “Nagisa, you look like a mess! I thought you were going to make an unforgettable first impression?” 

“Well,” Rei grinned. “It _is_ a rather unforgettable first impression.” 

Nagisa looked up, delight dancing across his youthful features. Rei wondered if the boy was younger than him. He was rather petite, and an entire head shorter than him.  

“Your Highness, Nagisa Hazuki at your service,” the blond flourished a bow. “If there’s anything at all, I’m always here to help. It’s my job to assist you in adjusting to castle life and to be your companion. So feel free to confide in me and trouble me as much as you like!” 

Rei felt warmth fluttering in his chest. He had barely spent much time at the castle, and he already felt welcome.

“You can just call me Rei, please.”

Gou and Nagisa proceeded to show him around the castle and Rei was particularly taken by the library and the endless shelves of unread books just waiting to be explored. It was already late in the afternoon when Gou excused herself and Nagisa led him to their last destination, the ‘Mystic Dungeon’, or more commonly known as the “Mysdun”.

“For the most part, we’re not allowed to go anywhere near it unless we’re magic,” Nagisa explained. He quickened his steps as they reached a forbidding wooden door. He pushed the rectangular flap open, widening a single eye in a comical fashion as if he were trying to get a better view. 

“It should be safe to go in,” Nagisa reported a minute later, pushing against the door with all his weight. Rei reached forward to help him, but Nagisa held up a hand to stop him.

“Have faith in me, Rei! All my training with the knights has not been in vain.” 

Rei conceded and let the boy huff and groan until the door swung open and he flew in. There was a yelp of shock and the blue-haired prince hurried in, worried about his companion. He saw a towering man bending over to help Nagisa up. When he stood, he bowed in Rei’s direction, his heavy-lidded eyes framed by a pair of grey glasses. Nagisa bounded over to Rei with the taller man in tow.

“Rei, this is Sera. He’s one of our frontline Spellbinders!”

Rei could tell from the haunting flecks of gold in Sera’s olive eyes that he was a Faerie. He pushed his own red-rimmed glasses up. “A Spellbinder?”  

“It’s a fancy way of saying ‘Faerie Knight’, really,” Sera chuckled. “We have experienced Faeriefolk fighting along with the knights in the frontlines. It bolsters our offence tremendously.” Sera paused and raised his open palm before Rei. A wisp of white smoke rose up, and Rei could make out the outline of a tree rooted to the ground. “I’ve heard much about you. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Your Highness.” 

Rei raised his palm in turn and Nagisa’s eyes widened as the wisp of smoke on his palm began to spin before dissipating. “Likewise, Sera. Although I can’t imagine exactly what you’ve heard about me.”

“Is that Faerie greeting?” Nagisa voiced out, glancing back and forth between them. “I’ve seen Sera and the others Faeries do it the first time they met.” 

Sera ruffled Nagisa’s hair, smiling. “Exactly. It helps us learn about what kind of Faerie they are.” 

“There’s different kinds?” Nagisa’s eyes widened.

“Four, to be specific,” Rei answered. “I suppose it isn’t well-known amongst humankind. The distinction is blurred now, more than it was in the past. Faeries adapt to different environments and this manifests in the type of magic they possess. It’s an elemental sort of categorisation, you could say.” 

“You’ve got to tell me all about it when we go to Court!” Nagisa exclaimed, bouncing on his feet. Rei almost agreed. There was something off about the statement…  

“When we go to Court?”

At his quizzical tone, Nagisa sighed despondently. “It’s Court, Rei. It’s just some uptight aristocrats talking about their insignificant problems.” 

“I’m sure it isn’t that bad,” Rei frowned. “At home, our Court is always full of well-thought out debate and suggestions put forth for the betterment of our Kingdom.” 

“You’ll have to trust Nagisa on that one,” Sera grimaced. “Even King Rin looks sick halfway through the meetings.” 

“I suppose I could remedy the situation, then,” Rei spoke after a moment’s silence. “I was educated on court matters and diplomacy. I rather enjoyed all the lessons.” 

Nagisa gaped at him. “I’d bet ten shillings you’ll spend all your time in the library when you’re free.” 

“Ten shillings is an awfully small amount,” Sera teased, ruffling Nagisa’s hair.

“Oh be quiet,” Nagisa snorted. “Not everyone earns as much as you.” 

Rei couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped him, and he attempted to cover up his abashed blush when he realised the pair was staring at him. 

“We’re going to love having you around here,” Nagisa affirmed with a wide smile. “Especially Rin. Speaking of Rin, how come _he’s_ not the one showing you around?” 

“He had something urgent to attend to,” Rei replied, pushing his glasses up. “But there will be plenty of time to get to know him better after the wedding ceremony,” he trailed off. 

“I bet he gave you a dashing smile and ran off. Oh boy. Gou and I are gonna have so much fun throwing you two in… _situations._ ”

Sera rolled his eyes and pushed Nagisa out. “All right, take Rei back to his room. It’s going to get really busy, so it’s best if he’s well-rested.” 

Nagisa took him to his bedchamber and they parted ways there. As Rei lay in his bed that night, his mind flitted to his to-be husband. They had hardly talked. Over the coming days, he hoped they would have more chances to interact.

When he fell asleep, he dreamt of potions and bursts of colours. 

*******

The days leading up to the marriage ceremony were, in one word, crippling. By the end of the day, Rei would collapse on the bed, sapped of any energy to move around. The maids were even more brutal than the Pixies, he decided. They tossed him about and measured him from head to toe, after which they tilted his chin left and right and discussed what type of clothing suited him best.

He had done his best to squeeze in some time to educate himself about the customs amongst humankind. At home, they had always followed the Faerie customs because his father, a human, had married into his mother’s family. 

Rei did not see much of Rin until the wedding day.

His family arrived in the late morning, and they held the ceremony in the spacious gardens in the warm glow of the early afternoon sun. Rei was in customary Faerie dress and he was certain he would melt from all the burning gazes on him when he walked down the aisle. He wondered if it was the kohl they had rubbed on the waterline of his eyes. “Be beautiful,” he reminded himself, glancing ever so often at Rin. The redhead looked every bit the regal king he was, a majestic burgundy cloak draped around his shoulders.

Rei bowed his head when Rin placed the silver circlet on his head. It felt cool against the feverish heat of his forehead. He looked up and his eyes met Rin’s and the incessant thudding of his heart shrouded Queen Karen’s voice. They exchanged their vows - an eternal promise to love, despite all odds, until death’s embrace. 

Rei was certain his “Yes” had been too soft, too quick. His heart continued to hammer away. 

“You may now kiss the groom.” 

His eyes should have closed. Should have been, but weren’t. He stood, frozen, as Rin encircled him by his waist and leaned it. He rested his hands against the King’s chest for balance, wondering for a fleeting moment how sharp Rin’s teeth were but– Rin’s lips were chapped and warm against his own, and the wind seemed to roar in his reddening ears. When the King pulled away, Rei teetered forward but Rin held on to his waist, keeping him upright. 

“You alright?” Rin murmured, loud enough only for Rei to hear. 

Rei nodded, not trusting himself to say anything lest an unbecoming sound escaped him. He looked at their audience and he caught sight of his brother’s cheeky expression as he made subtle gestures hinting at the wedding night. Really, how old did his brother think he was? Rei opted to look at his mother, avoiding his brother whom he could still see from the corner of his eye. Next to his parents, he could see Gou’s ecstatic expression. 

They took the time afterwards to thank all the guests. Rei hoped his smile wasn’t wearing off and turning into a grimace by the time he had made it through a few dozen handshakes.

“You have enchanting eyes, Your Majesty,” one of the ladies giggled, fluttering her fan. Before Rei could respond, she rushed off. Next to him, Rin snickered. Rei turned to his _husband,_ mortified _. Was he enjoying this?_

“You’ll get used to it,” Rin told him, although it didn’t make him feel better. “They got bored of telling me what pointy teeth I have so they’re going to be all over you in the coming days. A lovely welcome, don’t you think?” 

“Lovely?!” Rei was aghast. “You don’t mean to tell me all your people are so forward and at liberty with their choice of words?” 

Rin gave him a grin and turned back to the next guest. “I suppose you could say that.” 

By the end of the day, Rei was certain that a lifetime of energy had been sapped out of him. As Rin’s consort, however, he knew there would be more to come. It had been enjoyable, however. No one seemed to mind that he was part-Faerie, or that he had been particular about perfecting every handshake.

“How are you?” Nagisa chirped, walking around him in circles in a bid to fan him. “I bet you’re exhausted.” In response, Rei sat heavily at the edge of the bed, resisting the urge to roll on it.

“I wish I could practise some alchemy, really. It helps me take my mind off things when I’m fatigued.” 

“Alchemy?!” Nagisa gawked at him. “You mean you can do all those weird-cool things with funny-smelling liquids and, and you know! Things!” 

Rei frowned at the blond's choice words. “It’s not ‘things’ and ‘funny-smelling liquids’, Nagisa. It’s an art, but even amongst Faeriefolk it’s becoming obsolete.” 

“Wow, you’re so cool, Rei! Rin’s really made a good choice. Oh! Rin!” Nagisa gasped, his eyes widening in horror. “You! You can’t be exhausted!” Rei nearly fell back at the force with which Nagisa grasped his shoulders. “You have to be glowing with energy tonight!”

Rei edged away from the boy’s intense gaze. “About that,” he croaked, pushing his glasses up. “I’m not very–” 

“You don’t worry! I’ll make sure everything’s perfect.” 

Nagisa ran out and left Rei to increasingly indecent thoughts. He wondered if Rin– 

“Rei! Sorry I’m late!” Gou rushed in with a maid who was holding up a nightgown. Floral patterns ran across the purple lace. “You go bathe and we’ll leave this out for you. The maids will help you along!” 

Before Rei could protest, she was gone like a whirlwind. Nagisa whistled and pushed him into the tub waiting in the adjacent room. Scented herbs had been sprinkled in the water and wisps of steam rose from it, enveloping Rei.

“I’ll see you tomorrow!” Nagisa pushed the door close and Rei heard the rapid tap of his receding footsteps. Rei discarded his clothes in a neat pile at the side of the tub and stepped in, letting the warm wash over him and he relaxed the muscles tense from standing up for so long. It lulled him into a hazy sleep and he spluttered awake when he felt a tap on his shoulder. 

“Your Majesty, it’d be best if you came out now.” 

He stepped out of the tub and the maid wrapped him with a towel, drying him down and rubbing some scented oils on his neck and the back of his ears. She led him to the middle of the bedchamber and held up the clothes Gou had brought in. 

“This will be a perfect fit for you, Your Majesty.” 

She helped him slip it on and loosened the upper half, smacking away Rei’s hands when he attempted to tighten it. His face burned at how the clothing dipped at his chest more than it should have. 

“It’s a little too…” 

“No, it’s just enough,” she decided, patting the embroidered sleeves that ended at his elbows. “You’ll have to be a little more daring with King Rin.” 

“Daring?” he managed, feeling his stomach do a little tumble. His heart was thumping uncomfortably, almost suffocating. 

She nodded and led him to Rin’s bedchamber. Well, now it was  _theirs_. 

“Don’t worry, Your Majesty, King Rin will take good care of you.” With an encouraging pat, she left him to wallow in uncertainty. Rei preferred to be in the know of things, but he had never touched upon matters of love and matrimony, much less anything intimate of any sort. 

He sat at the edge of the bet, clutching the quilt and trying to keep his mind off how loose the nightgown was around his neck. The maids had turned off the lighting and left candles lit instead, providing a sensual ambience. He looked around, spellbound by the grandeur of the room. He sat at the edge of the bed, calculating that at least three people could fit into it without much difficulty. Despite the dim lighting, he could tell that intricate designs ran along the carpet and exquisite tapestries rested on the wall. He scrutinized the room until noticed a portrait of the Matsuoka family.

He padded towards it, rubbing his arms to resist the cold. Rin, at about twelve or thirteen, stood next to his sister, his face pulled into an expression of unadulterated delight. Behind him, the deceased King stood next to the Queen. Rei’s gaze lingered on Rin, and he wondered how he had shouldered so many burdens when his father had passed away. 

Rei whirled around at the creak of the door and Rin stepped in, still dressed in the wedding clothes. He collapsed on the nearby armchair with a groan. 

“I can’t even feel my body anymore,” Rin leaned back, covering his face with the back of his hand. Rei took a tentative step forward and stood in front of his husband. 

“Would you– that is, I’m rather good at massaging stiff shoulders.” 

Rin cracked an eye open and turned to look at Rei. He stared at Rei for a few seconds, his eyes running over him before he turned away. “Shoot away.” 

Rei hesitated for a second or two before he positioned himself behind Rin and reached out to knead his tensed shoulders. He could feel the knots loosen as he worked systematically, rolling the skin against his fingers. Rin relaxed into the massage, slowly leaning into Rei until his back was almost touching the younger man’s chest. The maid’s words suddenly trickled into Rei’s mind. He leaned forward, holding his breath. His ear grazed Rin’s cheek and the redhead jerked away from him, his red eyes flashing in the faint light of the candles. Rei’s heart thudded painfully.

“You should sleep,” Rin said finally. The silence stretched out between them.

“Did I do something wrong?” Rei asked, when Rin kept his back turned to him. “If anything made you uncomfortable–” 

“No. No, it was good. It’s not an obligation to, you know, go all the way on our wedding night. You must be tired.” 

“But it’s alright,” Rei tried to reason. “I _want_ to. I’m glad you chose me. I want to know you better.’ 

“I can’t, Rei, not right now.”

Rei stepped off the couch and headed to the bed, his head pounding and heart squeezing so painfully he wondered if it would just stop. His mouth was dry and he mustered a curt ‘Good night’ before he pulled the cover over himself. He fell into a restless sleep, and later he would deny that he'd been waiting for warmth at his back that never came. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gAHH riN w hAT have you DoNE


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **[Glossary]**
> 
>  
> 
> _**MysDun (Mystic Dungeon)** \- A training room for Spellbinders _  
> _**Undine** \- Water-type Faerie _

When morning came, Rei rolled to the side and the expanse of the empty bed greeted him. _Well_ , a distant thought ran through his mind, _at least there’s none of the rumoured soreness._ He sat up and rested his chin on his knees, staring at the cushions strewn around on the couch. Rin must have slept there. The rejection he had faced the night before rammed into him and he wondered if he had done anything repulsive. Had he overstepped an unspoken boundary?

“Seriously, I don’t know how anyone can take one look at you and just walk away,” someone had told him. All his life, the people around him had always affirmed him. It gave him a big head sometimes, but more often than not, it made him _feel_ beautiful.

The confusion and hurt gave way to a bubbling annoyance. When he headed to breakfast at the Dining Hall, he avoided meeting the King’s eyes. The Royal family, along with the courtiers and Nagisa, was already seated. 

“Morning, Rei!” Nagisa chirped. 

Rei took the seat next to Nagisa, straying clear of the empty seat near Rin, who was at the head of the table. “Good morning, Nagisa.” The blond gave him a curious look as if he had sensed how irate Rei was. Before he could ask, the other courtiers jumped in and asked if Rei was well rested. 

When the servants brought in the dishes, Rei refrained from stabbing at the food and opted to finely cut the meat into smaller pieces, imagining that every cut he made, he was making a jab at Rin’s conscience. 

“Did Rin overexert you that much?” Nagisa suddenly asked. His voice was deafening against the quiet clink of utensils against ceramic plates. Rei nearly choked on his food and he saw Rin’s fork clutter to the ground from the corner of his eye. 

Some of the courtiers tittered and one of them gave Rei an understanding look. “His Majesty can be rather overbearing.”

Rei’s face burned.

Nagisa laughed until tears squeezed out the corners of his eyes. He only stopped when Rin gave him a murderous look. The Dining Hall erupted with chatter at that point, and Rei was grateful when the conversation turned into something other than talk about his wedding night.

They dispersed after breakfast and Nagisa accompanied him on his way to the library. He was wondering how to tell the boy about his disastrous night when he knocked into something hard. His nose ached from the impact and he reeled backwards but someone steadied him. He looked up to see a fair-skinned man with droopy green eyes, a gentle smile on his face. 

“Sorry about that,” he rubbed the back of his head. 

“Oh no, don’t worry about it. I wasn’t watching where I was going,” Rei shook his head. 

“Makoto!” Nagisa jumped up, a brilliant smile dancing across his face. “You’re back!” 

“That I am,” the man laughed, and Rei wondered who he was. 

Nagisa gestured to Rei and introduced him as Rin’s husband. Makoto gave him an even warmer smile and bowed. “Your Majesty. I regret I not being there to witness the ceremony.” 

“It’s alright,” Rei shook his head. “But may I ask who you are?” 

“I’m–”

“The Cavalry Captain!” Nagisa jumped in. “He’s one of the strongest warriors in the Kingdom!” 

Makoto laughed. “Yes, it’s just as he said, Your Majesty."

“Please, don’t mind the formalities,” Rei told the man. “In any case, I hope you aren’t in a hurry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Makoto smiled. “But I _do_ have a message to convey to Rin so I’ll be on my way.”

Rei nodded and watched the man walk down the hallway, armour clinking. 

“It seems like you’re all familiar with one another,” Rei commented.

“That’s actually because we’re all childhood friends. We used to play with Rin,” Nagisa explained. “There’s me, Makoto, Haruka and Sousuke. Oh, Sousuke is Gou’s fiancé!” 

“The princess is engaged?” Rei’s eyebrows shot up. He had not known of such an arrangement. 

“Yeah, it’s fairly recent. Sousuke couldn’t wait any longer and snatched her up the moment her birthday passed. Although I have to say, Rin would have been opposed the engagement if it had been anyone but Sousuke. He’s really protective of Gou.” 

“Then, who’s Haruka?” 

Nagisa was silent for a moment. “You’ll see,” he said. “You’ll see.” 

*******

Haruka, as Rei found out, was a fascinating person. He was captivating, by looks alone, and taciturn. Rei was instantly drawn to his eyes as blue as the midsummer sky. He met Haruka the afternoon he went out to study the plants in the garden. He hadn’t even felt the man’s presence until he tripped over something lying at the edge of the pond. 

Rei tumbled headfirst onto the grass. When he picked himself up, he looked behind to see the onyx-haired man staring at him, silent. His expression was unreadable so Rei thought it would be better if he apologised for disturbing the stranger’s rest. 

The man nodded and lay on the grass again, his fingers trailing the water. As Rei watched the water ripple, he stood with a start. 

“You’re an Undine!” 

The man looked up at him, his eyes widening ever so slightly. “Yeah.” 

The water Faerie watched him for a few seconds before sitting up and holding out his hand. Waves crashed against his palm and died down. The pond water gurgled and Rei caught glimpses of fishes swimming in the depths. 

Rei shifted closer to him, maintaining enough a distance so that the stranger wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. “I’m Rei. I’m only half-Faerie so I can’t do as much as most Sylphs.” 

“I’m Haruka,” the man responded, gazing at the pond. “So you’re Rin’s husband.” He turned an unfathomable gaze on Rei and it seemed like an appraisal of sorts. He looked away after a minute or two, nodding as if he were satisfied by the evaluation. “Take care of him.” 

Rei sighed at that and rested his chin on his knees. “I will do my best. I don’t see him often these days, so we don’t have much time to talk. He must be awfully busy.” 

“Spend more time with him and discover more about him,” Haruka advised, and that was the end of the conversation. Rei sat next to the other man for a while until inspiration struck and he excused himself. He was walking down the hallway to the bedchamber when he saw Rin and an incredibly tall man entering a room in the distance. Curious, he walked up to the door and was about to knock when he heard Rin’s muffled voice. 

“Makoto told me about the Riders. They’re definitely from the Shigino. Always watching us on the horizon.” 

“They’re looking for something.” It was an unfamiliar voice. There was an icy cold grip around Rei’s heart. There were Riders from the Shigino Kingdom watching Samezuka? There was a dull ache in his wrist and he twisted the bracelet, calming himself down. The end of the Battle of Mutare should have resolved the conflict. Were the people of Shigino seeking revenge against those who had assisted the Faerie kingdoms? When he heard footsteps, he backed away from the door and rushed back to the bedchamber. _Why hadn’t Rin mentioned anything to him? They were married now. Any of Rin’s worries were his._ He shook his head and bit his lip. It was unreasonable of him to ask so much from Rin. They had barely spent enough time together.

Pushing the thoughts aside, Rei rummaged through the cupboards until he found a small rucksack. He pulled out the alchemy manuals and the small vials of potions he had thrown inside in his haste. He let them float in the air, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. He elevated an empty journal, planning on putting it to good use. With the resources he could find at the castle and perhaps the forests beyond, he could concoct some new potions. 

“I have no idea how you manage to look good all the time.” 

Rei turned around, startled to see Rin leaning against the door, watching him. The vials crashed down and it was only by sheer luck that he managed to grasp control before they hit the floor. The journal dropped onto the carpeted floor with a thud. 

“Thank you,” Rei replied, stiff. He pulled the vials close and put them back inside the bag. He felt a twinge of annoyance. It had already been a few days so why was he still vexed? Rin walked towards him, picking up the notebook and holding it out to him. Rei plucked it out of his hands, avoiding glancing at his husband.

“I’m sorry about the past few days,” Rin said softly. “Is there anywhere you want to go? I’ll accompany you. We haven’t had much time to be together.”

Rei looked up and decided sulking was not worth it if he could get to understand Rin better. “If it’s alright with you, I’d like to go to the Knowling Forest. There are a few rocks I want to find.”

At ‘rocks’, Rin’s eyebrows quirked up but he helped Rei up with a smile and held his hand all the way to the stables.

“We’ll ride there.”

The stable boy saddled a white mare and led her to Rei. Rin helped Rei mount the mare before he hopped onto a black stallion. The mare snorted and bucked forward, and Rei could tell she was going to be rebellious. They went at a relatively slow pace after they left the castle until Rei applied some pressure to get the mare to break into a full gallop. He laughed at Rin’s expression as they dashed ahead. A handsome smirk broke across Rin’s face. 

“You’d better watch your back. You don’t want to get bitten.”

Rei held back the surprise and spurred his mare on faster upon seeing Rin lean forward, all game. She seemed to have understood it was a challenge, and she whinnied, galloping into the forest ahead of the stallion. 

“It’s my win!” Rei laughed, turning back as the mare trotted to a stop. Rin caught up to him, his hair ruffled and eyes glinting in the sunlight.

“Not so soon!” Rin slid off the stallion and Rei hopped off from the other side, avoiding Rin’s outstretched arms. He didn’t make it far before the king encircled him by the waist and dragged him down, laughing. They lay on the forest floor, huffing and breaking into uncontrollable chuckles. Rei curled into Rin, turning to his side and looking up at the redhead’s face. Rin raked his fingers through Rei’s hair, his eyes unfocused. Rei kept his hands tucked against his chest, afraid of ruining the moment if he touched Rin carelessly. He snapped his fingers and leaves twirled off the forest floor, circling around the two of them. Rin pulled Rei closer to him and they lay together, without saying a word. When the magic faded and the leaves fluttered to the ground, Rin helped Rei up and dusted the stray dirt off his hair and his clothes. 

“Shall we walk around?” 

Rei nodded, catching his breath. Rin followed Rei around, no doubt confused about what he was doing. He picked up a rock every now and then, wondering about the minerals and the magic lingering in them. The horses followed them, and he could hear them nickering at each other. 

“Hey, this one’s real pretty,” Rin showed Rei a rock. Rei took it from the older man, examining the ridges and the shimmering lines running across it. It was exquisite.

“You have an eye for beautiful things,” he observed. 

“Clearly,” Rin gestured at Rei and he rolled his eyes at the flirtatious statement. They walked deeper into the forest and Rei was unsettled by the silence. The horses had stopped a distance away, the mare whinnying insistently. 

Rei stopped where he was, reaching out for Rin’s arm. Something was wrong. 

“What’s going on?” Rin frowned, looking around them. “It’s way too quiet.” 

Almost immediately, the ground rumbled and something crashed through the trees with an ear-splitting roar. Rei sensed an intense wave of magical energy surround them and he pushed Rin to the side before the creature ploughed through them. It skidded to a stop a distance away, snarling at them. Rin jumped to his feet, sword drawn.

“Stay back!” he shouted.  

“Don’t!” Rei held him back. “It’s too dangerous!” 

The ferocious creature before them was a hideous mix of a lion and a bear. It bared its teeth, roaring loud enough to make their ears ring. With a start, Rei remembered an ancient text he had found in the library. 

_“Magic bleeds, oh how it bleeds. It flows into the streams, dances with the trees and clouds the air. The aftermath of a battle as intense as the one at Mutare left parts of the region crackling with unpredictable energy. Animals transformed over time, trapped within the magic we let taint the ground. Beware, travellers, for such creatures bear within them the hatred of Faeriefolk and the blood of innocents.”_

“Is this forest a part of Mutare?” Rei asked, his breath catching in his throat.  

Rin looked at him, eyes wide as the creature bounded forward. “How…?” 

Rei procured a barrier strong enough to send the creature flying back. Rin took the chance to leap forward and hacked at the creature with the sword. It howled in pain and twisted away, tail striking Rin. He was thrown back into a tree with a loud thwack and Rei cried out. Rin collapsed on his knees but he stood up, grimacing. 

“I’m fine. Don’t come any closer!”

Rei rummaged through his bag, frantic. There _had_ to be something- 

His fingers brushed against the cold glass of a vial. 

He pulled it out and the amber liquid inside sloshed against the sides. It seemed to sparkle where the faint rays of light hit it. He had learned first-hand that it burned when the potion touched skin.

“Rin,” Rei’s urgent tone caught the man’s attention. “Distract it! I have an idea!” 

Rin nodded and turned back to the animal, circling it. “Get over here!” he taunted the creature, swinging his sword into the air. It took a step forward, shoulders hunched. Within a split second, it changed direction and charged at Rei instead. Rin yelled in alarm and the barrier Rei threw forward was not enough to stop the force with which the creature knocked him down. He was flung backwards and his head hit the ground with a resounding thump. Temporarily winded, he lay still as his vision blurred and his glasses slid off his face. His head spun and he was sick to his stomach. There was a blur of movement and he knew it was Rin in front of him, holding the beast back. He looked to the side and a flash of orange caught his attention. He crawled forward, grasping the vial. 

He wobbled to his feet and emptied the vial into his palm, keeping the liquid hovering. His concentration wavered and it grazed his palm. The sting was enough to shock him back to his senses and he gathered a ball of air, the liquid swirling in the centre. The world swayed before him and he took aim at the creature’s head. There was a loud neigh and the horses charged at the animal from the side, throwing it off balance. Rei sent the ball of air at the creature. It hit it dead in the eye and Rin jumped back as the creature reared on his monstrous hind legs and fell to the side. The thunderous roars of pain rang in Rei’s ears even after Rin helped him up and onto the stallion.

“Come on Rei, hang on, we’ll be fine.” Rin’s voice was going out of focus. Rei slumped forward on the stallion, nausea settling in his stomach. Rin mounted the stallion and held on to Rei, urging the horse forward. The mare galloped by their side, and by the time they had made it out of the forest, Rei was out cold. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh sorry for the late update ;;; i kept getting distracted halfway through editing. lots of things happened in this chapter and it's only the beginning,,  
> thank you for the comments and the kudos!! i hope you all enjoyed this chapter ;;


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **[Glossary]**   
>  _**MysDun (Mystic Dungeon)** \- A training room for Spellbinders _   
>  _**Undine** \- Water-type Faerie _   
>  _**Gnome** \- Earth-type Faerie _   
>  _**Sylph** \- Air-type Faerie _

Rei woke up to the throbbing pain at the back of his head and became aware of the hushed whispers at the same time. He cracked his eyes open and heard Nagisa gasp. Someone shushed him.

“Rei?”

It was Rin. He tried to turn his head but his neck felt too stiff. A hand slipped into his and Rin gave him a comforting squeeze. After a few minutes of squinting and trying to turn, someone helped prop him up against the head of the bed. Rin placed his glasses comfortably on the bridge of his nose and his vision cleared. An entourage of people surrounded the bed, their eyes reflecting concern. Makoto and Haruka were standing at the edge of the bed, and Nagisa was peering over Rin’s shoulder with glassy eyes. Even Sera stood at the back, next to the unknown man with whom he had seen Rin. Gou was leaning into him, her arm hooked in his. It registered at the back of Rei’s mind that the man must be Sousuke, her fiancé.

Rin sighed and pulled the chair closer to the edge of the bed. He sat, trapping Rei’s hand in a firm grip. “Thank the Gods you’re awake.” Rin pressed his forehead against the back of Rei’s hand and it was such an intimate gesture that he would have blushed if he were not in his agonised state. The tense silence broke, and the others voiced their relief.

“We’ll talk when you’re better,” Gou smiled. Nagisa mouthed “I’ll see you later,” and they all filed out, leaving Rei alone with the King. Rei turned to his husband.

“How long have I been unconscious?” His voice was hoarse and his mouth was dry as cotton.

“Three days. A whole three days.” Rin appeared pained. “I should’ve known better than to take you so deep into the forest. Yet-”  

“Don’t shoulder all the responsibility,” Rei cut in. “I should have known, too. I’ve studied the geography of the land but,” his voice dropped to a whisper. “I was too careless. I’m thankful that you’re unharmed.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that I put you in danger. And after all the promises I made to your family to take care of you...” Rin’s lips turned down the ends.

Rei couldn’t find any words to turn the frown back into a playful grin and they sat, unmoving, each lost in their own thoughts.

“I thought I’d lost you, when your consciousness faded,” Rin looked up at last. His tone was flat, but his eyes betrayed the emotions tumult in his eyes. “It reminded me of my father...”

“But I’m here and I’m perfectly fine,” Rei cupped Rin’s cheeks and drew in, his eyes locked on Rin’s own red ones. _I’m here, I’m safe. We’re alright._

“Sorry to interrupt, but, uh…”

The pair turned to see Nagisa peeking in through the half-open door, hardly sorry. Next to him, there was a slight young man about Nagisa’s age, mortification evident on his face; a stark contrast to the glee that danced across Nagisa’s face.

“Nagisa!” Rin growled, pulling away from Rei. “I’ll skin you!” At that, the slightly taller boy quaked and he blinked rapidly in Nagisa’s direction

“Terrifying!” the valet shrilled, grabbing the other boy’s hand and dashing off. Rin gave Rei an apologetic look and took a few strides to the door.

“Go to sleep, Rei. I’ll be back later.”

Rei pulled the covers up to his chin, heart skipping a beat. Rin being so affectionate with meant he was comfortable with Rei, enough to perhaps build a supportive relationship. His face flamed and he buried his face in the pillow, willing the thoughts out of his head and sinking into the dreamless embrace of sleep.

*******

 

When Rei had recovered fully and Rin’s bruises faded, there was a unanimous agreement to hold a ball. The purpose of which, according to Nagisa, was to formally introduce Rei to the Court and the other inhabitants of the castle. He was starting to see the potential benefits because without it, he had trouble convincing some that he was much more than a mere accessory. When he sat in for Court meetings, his suggestions were often overshadowed or challenged, and thrown aside. It irked him to no end and he didn’t want Rin’s help to make the rest acknowledge him. He would do that himself. His role was not to simply sit there and be pretty!

The morning of the day the ball was to be held, Rei marched to the Mysdun, expecting it to be empty. Most of the Spellbinders only practised their craft in the afternoons and late into the night, under the light of the moon.

Sera glanced at him, a wry smile on his face. “Good morning, Your Majesty.”

“Rei.”

Sera chuckled. “Good morning, Rei. You seem to be in an awfully foul mood.”

“I am!” Rei brandished the vials he had been holding in his arms. He spread them out in the air, counting them with little flicks of his finger.   

“I’ve always been fascinated by Sylphs,” Sera came to stand next to him. “As a Gnome, I don’t have much of a chance to get in touch with the air.”

“You do have the precious gift of flight for a while, though.”

“You don’t?” Sera raised an eyebrow.

“Unfortunately, I don't. It’s presumably because I have human blood. Most of the Sylph magic has manifested, but I’ve never been able to fly. In the accounts of others like me-”

Rei yelped, his arms shooting out to grab at something. He had lost contact with the ground. He flailed in the air and Sera wheezed, holding back a laugh. “How is it up there, Your Majesty?”

“Put me down!” Rei demanded, holding his palms out at the older man as the vials wavered in the air.  

The Gnome let him down and avoided the blast of air that came his way. He uprooted the plants growing around them and vines shout out at Rei. The younger man kept that at bay, one hand up to keep his vials in the air.

“Your barriers are getting better,” Sera appraised him, when he finally let up on his attacks. “But you’ll have to work on keeping them up for longer.”

Rei nodded, taking the chance to gather up the vials. “I’ll have to make my shields strong without compromising on the duration.”

“Or you could bolster your attack and defense with your potions,” Sera pointed out. “That’s how you helped Rin out when you were attacked by the Mutant.”

Rei shuddered at the memory of the monster.

And then there was a sudden clang as the heavy door flew open and hit the wall. “Haru, wait!”

The pair watched in stunned silence as Haruka stepped in, a large tub of water in his hands. Makoto followed him in, at his heels. “Haru, put that back!” The black-haired man ignored the Knight and placed the tub on the ground. Rei was both fascinated and horrified when Haruka tore his vest off and stepped into the tub. Makoto bent down and Haruka’s reflexive spell had water raining down on all of them. The water soaked through Rei’s thin chemise and he sucked in a breath at the instant chill. He looked down and a faint blush ran up his cheeks when he realised his top had become practically see-through. He wrapped his arms tightly around himself, shivering.

“Haru, now see what’s happened. Sorry, Sera, Rei!”

Haruka ignored them, apparently at peace with the world. Rei had never seen such bliss on the man’s often expressionless face. He supposed Undines were quite often deprived of their haven. Rei sneezed and it racked through his body. Someone draped warm clothing over his soaked ones. It was Sera’s Spellbinder robes.

“The ball will be a disaster if the most important person isn’t there,” the Gnome smiled.

“Thank you,” Rei sniffed, rubbing his nose. An involuntary shiver ran through him.

“I’ll accompany you to your bedchamber,” Sera offered, taking a look at Rei’s sorry state. Rei turned behind to see Makoto attempting to drag the tub out, Haruka still sitting in it. Sera followed his gaze and shook his head.

“Haruka has a tendency to do that. Just brings a tub into the training room and reposes.”

“And you can still train like that?"

“Sometimes it appears impossible, but he’s one of our strongest Spellbinders. It’s a training of sorts, practising while he’s there. He always blocks our attacks, and he’s still in his water heaven. He practically attacks with his eyes closed.”

“Wow,” Rei breathed. “Haruka’s really capable. And somehow, I have this impression that he carries a world of wisdom within him.”

“That you’ve got right,” Sera agreed. “He gives us advice in the strangest of ways, but it’s always the best kind. Perhaps, that's the reason Rin sought his counsel so much.”

“I gather they’re very close,” Rei turned to Sera.

“They are,” he nodded. “They’ve been the best of friends since they were children. But I daresay Nagisa can tell you more when he’s back from his trip. He’ll be more than glad to share it with you.”

“Thank you,” Rei smiled, stepping into the bedchamber as Sera came to a stop outside. He saw the Spellbinder's eyes land on his bracelet. Most days, it was covered by the clothing he wore but that morning, he had worn a simple outfit.

“That must have taken a lot of exquisite workmanship,” Sera commented and Rei gave him a small smile, resting his hand over the bracelet.

“It was a parting gift from my mother.”

“A fitting one,” Sera nodded, and gestured for Rei to enter the bedchamber. “I’ll take my leave now, Rei. Don’t worry about returning the robe. Take your time to rest before the ball."

Later in the afternoon, a flurry of maids barged into the room. In typical fashion, they dunked Rei in scented water and dried him up thoroughly. The next move was to smother him with a bunch of fabrics. They finally handed him a an open-necked lace shirt and tight bottoms. The shirt dipped low enough that his collarbones were entirely exposed. “Is there anything less revealing?” Rei asked, dismay colouring his voice.

“I don’t suppose you’ll prefer this, Your Majesty,” one of the maids held up a tunic with an even more outrageous cutting. He conceded defeat and one of them rubbed a sweet balm on his lips while another dusted some red on his cheeks. They finished off by lining his eyes with kohl to make the violet more striking.

“You're absolutely dashing,” they assured him before sending him out where Nagisa was waiting. The valet was dressed up, and most of the clothing was streaked with shades of yellow. He was, himself, well-dressed for the ball.

“Let’s go,” Nagisa grinned, running his eyes over Rei’s appearance. He didn’t have to voice his approval for Rei to understand.

“His Majesty, King Consort, Rei Ryuugazaki,” the herald announced. As Rei made his way down the stairs to the ballroom, he could feel countless pairs of eyes on him. He looked ahead, keeping an eye out for his husband’s telltale hair. He spotted Rin standing at the corner, in deep conversation with Haruka. Behind him, Aiichirou was holding up a glass of wine, looking harassed every time one of the guests brushed past. Rei had learned soon after waking up that Aiichirou (better known as ‘Ai’) was Rin’s valet, and that he had been away on some business for Rin.

“Want to go to him?” Nagisa asked. Rei nodded but their attempt to walk over was thwarted by the courtiers who surrounded them and complimented the 'alluring melody' that was Rei’s captivating eyes, and his ‘flawless’ skin. It seemed half like a jest but the warm welcome had him smiling.

“I’d appreciate if you stop trying to spirit my husband away,” Rin broke through the crowd and they gave way, tittering.

Rei looked at his husband. They were of the same height but Rin’s elevated shoes gave him a slight advantage. “You look stunning,” Rin murmured and Rei went crimson. He was blushing far too much as of late. Aiichirou gave him a small smile and a bow.

“Thank you,” he replied, relieved that his voice had not faltered. He was blushing far too much as of late.

“May I have this dance?”

Rei took Rin’s outstretched hand and they started slow as the musicians began to play a haunting melody. He followed Rin’s lead, doing his best not to step on his partner’s toes. He had studied ballroom dancing fastidiously but he realised it wasn’t any easier to replicate when putting it to practice. He briefly caught sight of Nagisa standing at the side of the ballroom, gesturing in encouragement, tugging Ai’s arm up at the same time.

Rin tugged him closer and murmured, “Relax.” Rei turned his attention back to Rin and loosened up. Before he even realised, Rin was sweeping him across the ballroom. The guests had stopped to watch, entranced by the couple. When the music changed, the two of them gravitated to the side, leaving the center empty. Applause echoed in the ballroom. Rin flashed the courtiers a charming grin and Rei could see why anyone would be so easily enamoured with him.

“You stay here, take a breather,” Rin stepped away from him. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Before Rei could ask where he was going, the redhead had slipped through the crowd. His question was answered a few minutes later, when Rin took to the center with Haruka. A pang of discomfort snaked through Rei’s stomach. The pair looked enthralling together. Haruka, with his pale skin and dark hair, and Rin in all his vermilion glory.

When they began, Rei couldn’t help but notice the way Rin held onto Haruka. There was a serene air to the dance, and Rin’s gaze on Haruka was soft. It was like someone had pulled a thin veil over the pair, shielding them from the rest of the world. Rei’s heart tightened but he took a breath, berating himself. The dance ended and Haruka bowed to Rin and brushed past Rei with a small smile. A familiar scent lingered in the air; the perfume that had worn on his wedding night. It was the same. Rin came to stand next to Rei, but his eyes were on Haruka, who had walked up to Makoto. The black-haired man looked up at the cavalier and his normally vacant expression morphed into a genuine smile.

An ugly curl of _feeling_ took root at the bottom of Rei's stomach. The warm glow from the dance dissipated, and all that remained was a jarring realisation that hammered away at his mind.

“Rei?”

Rei didn’t look at his husband. The reason he had been rejected on the wedding night- It was clear now.

“I’m not feeling too well,” he muttered, pushing past the crowd. “I’ll retire to the bedchamber.”

“Rei!”

It was irrational. And ridiculous how he was acting. It shouldn’t have mattered, not when he had been prepared for worse things. Rin wasn’t having a scandalous affair. The tears stung his eyes all the same. The times Rin had held his hands and pressed kisses to his cheek, had he been sincere? Or had been thinking of Haruka?

He pushed the door to the bedchamber open and slammed it close behind him, leaning against it to catch his bearings. He closed his eyes and slid down, pulling his knees up. The rush of air in his ears did nothing to deafen the painful thump of his heart against his ribcage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for taking so long to post, school started and all ;;  
> i hope this was enjoyable too, even if the angst meter is riding high orz


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **[Glossary]**   
>  _**MysDun (Mystic Dungeon)** \- A training room for Spellbinders _   
>  _**Undine** \- Water-type Faerie _   
>  _**Gnome** \- Earth-type Faerie _   
>  _**Sylph** \- Air-type Faerie _

If Rin had attempted to enter the bedroom, he had been refused. It was Nagisa who walked in. He locked the door behind him and began rubbing comforting circles on Rei’s back.

“Rei? What happened?”

There was no reply from the half-Faerie. His face was still buried in the pillow on the couch. When he turned around, his eyes were reddened and his nose was puffy. He covered it up with the back of his hand and Nagisa offered him a tissue.

“Tell me about it.”

“It’s ridiculous,” Rei replied, his voice hoarse. “I’m being ridiculous. I shouldn’t have left like that.”

“I’m talking about _you_ , Rei. How do you feel? When you left, you looked the same as you did the morning after the wedding.”

Rei flinched at the mention of the wedding night. He touched the silver ring on his ring finger. “Nothing happened, Nagisa.”

“But how can it be nothing?! You were so up-" The blond stopped mid-sentence, magenta eyes widening in understanding.

“Oh, Rei,” he grabbed the older man’s hands. “No wonder you were so down. How could Rin do that? At the very least, he could have made sure you were comfortable.”

“It’s not entirely his fault,” Rei looked down. “I realised today. That night, the perfume on me- I think it reminded him of Haruka.”

Nagisa looked stricken and lowered his gaze.

“Does he love Haruka?”

The blond exhaled. “I hoped that when he sent you the proposal, he’d cast away any feelings he had for Haru. I guess.. it’s not that easy to forget a first love.”

“Then why didn’t he propose to Haruka?” Rei clenched the cloth draped over the couch. “Since he loves him so.”

“Rin told me it wouldn’t be worth it, to push his feelings onto Haruka.”

“That’s absurd!” Rei snapped, narrowing his eyes.

Nagisa pried his hands away from the cloth and gave them a gentle squeeze. “Well, Haruka has Makoto. They didn’t profess their love to each other until a while ago, but it was darn obvious even before that they only had eyes for each other. Rin didn’t make a move because he knew he couldn't be Makoto for Haruka.”

Rei sat in stony silence.

“But I think Rin’s trying to devote to you, Rei. He likes you as a person, and I’m sure he’ll come to love with time.”

“But don’t you think it’s rather unfair of him to keep this secret from me for months? I could have listen to him, as a friend. It didn’t even have to be as a lover. And now I’ve lost my heart to him and all this ugly jealousy within me, it’s festering like toxic. I hate it,” Rei’s voice broke. “If I can’t be the only one he sees, then I’d rather not be here at all.”

“Give him another chance,” Nagisa begged. “Please, Rei. You’re strong, and you’ve got a good head on your shoulders. The two of you could be a perfect match if you give it time. You’re not Haruka, Rei. But you’re you and that’s enough for us. If you can stay by Rin’s side and help him along…”

Rei lay on the couch, eyes roving across the ceiling. “If he’s not looking my way, I’ll make him. Until he can’t see anyone but me. Do you think I’m allowed to be that selfish?”

“He’s _your_ husband!” Nagisa stressed. “Of course you can.”

“Thank you, Nagisa,” Rei finally gave the boy a smile. “I’m glad you’re around. Otherwise, I’d just wither with all these revolting feelings inside me.”

“Jealousy can be attractive,” Nagisa waggled his eyebrows. “You can come on strong and pull him in for an angry kiss! And then bam! You push him down and he can’t turn away from your flashing eyes.”

Rei laughed and pushed Nagisa away. “That sounds awfully clichéd.”

“Hey, it’s not too bad an idea!”

There was a knock on the door and they glanced at each other. Rei jumped off the couch and dove onto the bed, pulling the covers over himself. Nagisa walked over to open the door. It was Gou who peeked in.

“If Rei’s not feeling well, we can have the maids bring his dinner here. It’d be good for him to get some rest and recover.”

“Thanks Gou.”

“Anytime,” Gou grinned at Nagisa. “And Rei,” she looked at him, “If my brother’s being a prick, give him a good whack okay? Don’t feel shy about it!” With an almost evil cackle, she was gone.

“Well, I suppose I can afford to be a little more bratty and avoid Rin for now,” Rei gave Nagisa a small smile.

*******

Morning came and Rei avoided Rin entirely. He had heard the King come in the night before and slide onto the bed, their backs facing each other. Rei asked for breakfast in the bedroom when Rin had left and he spent his time reading in the library or practising his magic at the MysDun. Despite all he had told Nagisa, he could not bring himself to look his husband in the eye without accusing him of perhaps more than he was guilty of.

It was a sweltering summer day a week later that Rei first ran into trouble. He had been on his way to the bedchamber, walking past the courtyards where the Knights were training. He often stopped by, fascinated by their attacks and parries and the unwavering manner in which they went straight in for the kill.

That day, he had left his leather notebook in the bedchamber and he was in a hurry to retrieve it. The instant that he had bent down to tighten his boots, something whizzed past him. The arrow struck the stone wall and clattered to the ground. Rei stood up, ears buzzing. He took a few hesitant steps to the open window overlooking the courtyard. The Knights were all occupied in their training, and none of them held a bow. Rei swallowed.

“Your Majesty? Is everything alright?”

Seijuurou, another of the Cavalry Captains had run up to the window and was peering at Rei. The younger man must have looked dazed because Seijuurou hopped over the window and frowned, peering at him.

“What happened?”

Rei looked down at the arrow that had nearly impaled him and Seijuurou’s eyes narrowed. He bent over and picked it up, tugging off the yellowed strip of paper wrapped around it. He pulled it open and Rei stilled.

“ _Begone, you half-blood._ ”

Rei bit his lip. “This- It couldn’t be just a prank. Have I done anything to offend anyone? Perhaps I disrespected a custom?”

"You've done nothing of the sort!" Seijuurou growled, his burning gaze on the slip of paper. He shoved it in the pocket of his tunic and swung his sword up.

“I’m going to go investigate this a little. I’ll get Momotarou to accompany you for now. Stay with Nagisa whenever you can.” He signalled for his younger brother to come and they exchanged a few words. Momotarou’s eyes flicked over to Rei occasionally and he nodded, before bounding up to Rei with a wide smile. Seijuurou stalked off, gripping the arrow in his right hand.

“Your Majesty! I’ll be with ya until we get to wherever you need to go, so don’t worry!”

Rei gave the boy a small smile, fears dissipating a little at the boy’s enthusiasm. “Thank you, Momotarou.”

“Always my pleasure,” he grinned. He accompanied Rei all the way to the bedchamber, chattering away about his conquest of the stag beetles.

“I’m going to find a golden stag beetle one of these days, I just know it!” he declared.

“Your dedication will certainly get you there,” Rei nodded sagely. “There’s no one who can stop you when you’re determined to do something.”

“Exactly!” Momotarou clapped his hands together. “My brother’s always complaining that I don’t train enough though.”

Rei laughed at that. “Maybe you should spend a little more time training and get your brother’s approval first.”

Momotarou made a face. “Training gets boring. Oh, Your Majesty, have you seen Princess Gou around?”

“She seems to be rather busy these days,” Rei noted.

“She must be as beautiful as ever,” Momotarou said dreamily. Rei wondered if the boy harboured feelings for her.

“But Prince Sousuke stole her away,” the orange-haired boy scowled. “It’s unfair,” he shook his fist. “I wanted to woo her and become a Knight worthy of her.”

“Love is rather difficult, isn’t it?” Rei sighed. “I had never experienced it until I arrived here.”

Momotarou grinned at him as they reached the bedchamber. “Even if His Majesty tires you out, I’m glad you’ve come to love him! He’s a fantastic leader and a wonderful companion.” The boy looked around and tiptoed, whispering conspiratorially in Rei’s ear. “All the courtiers are waiting for an heir, you won’t believe it.” As Rei turned an incredible shade of red, Momotarou howled with laughter and ran off.

As the blue-haired man pushed the door open to the bedchamber, a chill ran down his spine. He turned around, but Momotarou had long disappeared around the bend and the hallway was empty. He couldn’t shake off the disconcerting feeling that someone was watching him. Rei stepped into the room and shut the door behind him, heart thudding.

When the door opened later, he had expected Nagisa, but it was Sera who stepped in. The Spellbinder walked over to Rei, cloak billowing behind him.

“Rei, I heard from Seijuurou. You’re not hurt anywhere are you?”  

Rei nodded, wringing his hands together. “It was quite a shock, though.”

“There’s no way any of us could have anticipated such a thing.” Sera sat at the couch, frowning. “You should watch out for anyone suspicious from now on. Seijuurou’s already sent knights looking for anyone who could have attacked you. That the perpetrator succeeded in firing an arrow at you when the knights were right outside is rather worrying.”

“I wonder if the attacker bears a grudge against half-Faeries?” Rei recalled the paper. “Half-blood, they called me. It’s like they’re acutely aware of the fact that only half of my blood is Faerie.”

“I can’t be too sure,” Sera sighed. “We’ve never had half-Faeries in the castle. In any case, be careful. I’m going to help the knights. You should tell Rin about this before he finds out from someone else. He might go berserk knowing you were almost hurt within the castle premises. I think he was at the armory earlier.”

Rei nodded, thanking Sera for his help. “I’ll do that.”

When Sera left, Rei thought about keeping quiet but he decided he had to take the first step if he wanted to tighten the fraying relationship with his husband. He pulled on a robe and fastened it around his neck before heading to the armory. His footsteps were dull against the stone pathway that led him to the armory. It was mostly empty, save for the occasional squeaks of rats. Rei pulled the robe tighter around himself, uneasiness increasing. He was almost at the armory when he heard the rustle of clothing. He turned around, seeing a flash of golden hair disappear around the corner. Heart in his throat, he took the same path. Someone ran down the hallway and he chased after the person, eyes widening as he caught a glimpse of movement in a room down the corridor. He increased his pace, one hand clutched over his heart.

“It’s a trap, Rei!”

He turned around as a man burst out of the room behind him, sword swinging down. Rei backed up against the wall, raising his palms to deflect the blow. The man skidded backwards, the sword still swinging outwards. Rin was in front of Rei in a blur of movement, one hand behind as he held on to Rei’s arm.

Rin attacked, and the blond parried but he stumbled backwards. The redhead took the chance to thrust the sword forward and the blond youth fell backwards, his sword clattering on the floor. Rin held his sword at the boy’s throat.

“Tooru. It was you. Of all people, it was _you._ ”

Rei tightened his grip on Rin’s arm, looking over his husband's shoulder at the boy who snarled at him. “Filthy half-blood.”

Rin growled. “Shut up.”

Rei looked at the boy. _It wasn’t Nagisa_. As his heartbeat calmed, he sensed a hint of magical energy. It was carefully masked but the boy’s eyes were glassy and hued pink. “Rin,” he stepped past the king despite his tight grip on Rei's arm. “Let me take a closer look at him.”

“Fine,” Rin relented, his sword still in position.

Rei took a look at the boy’s neck and found a faint line. As he traced his hands over it, the thrum of energy grew stronger. He drew back, the discomfort growing in his stomach. “Rin, he’s been hypnotised.”

“What?”

"He’s not himself right now. Hypnosis is a forbidden technique, but I’ve seen some humans whom Faeries had hypnotised."

The boy, “Tooru”, Rin had called him, slapped Rei’s hand away and glared at him.

Rin looked at him, his eyes raised in worry. “Is there any way we can snap him out of it?”

“I’m not sure,” Rei admitted. “It might depend on how long the magic has been in his body.”

There was the distant clang of armour and knights rushed up to them, hauling Tooru up despite his attempts to wrestle away. Rin gestured for them to take him away and he pulled Rei in, resting his chin on his shoulder.

“Thank the Gods I was here. I’m sorry, for whatever I did that made you angry, but you’re safe and that’s all that matters. I heard from Seijuurou and Makoto about the arrow and I was worried sick.”

“I seem to attract trouble, don’t I?” Rei gave him a half-hearted smile, his head pounding from the close encounters.

Rin shook his head and led him to their bedchamber. “Come on, get some rest. It’s been a tiring day. We’ll figure this out together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wanted to post this a while after the previous chapter, actually, but i take an awfully long time to edit a single measly chapter so that didn't happen. i have now set in motion things.. that will be revealed with time.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **[Glossary]**   
>  _**MysDun (Mystic Dungeon)** \- A training room for Spellbinders _   
>  _**Undine** \- Water-type Faerie _   
>  _**Gnome** \- Earth-type Faerie _   
>  _**Sylph** \- Air-type Faerie _

Rei’s peace with Rin lasted a few days.

When the shock had worn off somewhat, he stepped out into the gardens, wondering how to expel the magic from Tooru. Nagisa and Haruka came along and sat on either side of him a while later. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” the blond’s tone was remorseful. “It’s my job to be with you but I had to go out to town to finish some business and you were targeted in the meanwhile!”

“It’s alright, Nagisa,” Rei smiled at the boy. “I’m fine. Rin was there, and the knights helped out.”

“You should be more careful now,” Haruka said. “It’s good you’re learning from Sera.”

Rei nodded. “I believe self-defence is key. It would be nice if I could join the knights in their training one of these days.”

“You can sword-fight?” Nagisa asked, piqued.

“I learnt a little,” Rei nodded.

“That’s great!” Nagisa exclaimed, turning to Haruka with excitement evident in his eyes. “Y’know, Rin and Haruka have these jousts from time to time and it’s so exciting to see them go at each other.”

It was a subtle quirk of his mouth, but Rei noticed how Haruka’s face fell. He looked at the older man and Haruka bit his lip.

“Not anymore.”

Nagisa and Rei stared at him questioningly.

“It’s like he’s avoiding me. I'm aware he’s busy but even then, he used to drop by and ask to spar to soothe his nerves.”

Rei frowned. “But why would he avoid you?”

“I don’t know… It started after the ball, I suppose?” Haruka replied, dipping his toes in the water. “We’ve fought before but it was never like this.”

Nagisa’s eyes widened in understanding and Rei stood up, his jaw clenched and violet eyes devoid of emotion. “I’m going to talk to Rin.”

“What?” both his companions looked at him, alarm in Nagisa’s eyes and confusion colouring Haruka’s.

“I think I know why,” Rei looked toward the castle. “And don’t worry Haruka, he’s definitely not angry with you.”

The pair watched as Rei stalked off in the direction of the Great Hall.

“Oh boy,” Nagisa dropped his head between his knees. “Oh boy.”

*******

Rei took Rin by surprise when he stopped him in his path, eyes shadowed.

“Rei?” Rin ventured.

When Rei looked up, his expression was unreadable. “I only wish to ask you one thing, Rin.” Their eyes met, and Rei held his gaze. Rin could have sworn it felt like an icy grip around his heart.

“How do you feel about Haruka?”

Rin flinched. “What?”

“I’ve heard from Nagisa how close all of you were when you were young. But, Haruka was different. _Is_ different. And you had so many chances to tell him how you feel!”

“Why are you bringing this up?” Rin demanded, his eyes narrowing to slits. “Why should I have to explain myself to you?”

Rei adjusted his glasses, varying emotions running across his face. “Because I’m your husband. I came here, ready to devote myself to my intended. Nevermind that he might not see me as an adequate partner, perhaps I could be a companion! Someone he could rely on when facing difficult times. But that’s not how it turned out! I’m an obligation, and you’re just repressing your emotions in a mask that may crumble when you see Haruka!”

Rin wasn’t prepared for when Rei grabbed his tunic and pushed him against the wall, his lilac eyes shimmering where the golden flecks seemed to whirl around. 

“You’re a coward! Why take a stranger as your husband when you could have shared your feelings with Haruka? You may have known his love lay with Makoto, not you. But is your relationship so weak that you professing your love would cause it to crumble? Have you realised how you’ve made Haruka feel?”

Rin grabbed Rei’s wrists, knuckles white. “What are you talking about?”

“You’re avoiding him! Telling yourself that you’re doing it because I’m your husband now, and you have to love me, not him. You’ve made him sad, Rin! He thinks he’s upset you. What do you really want?” His grip on Rin’s tunic loosened.

Rin stared at him in stunned silence. He gritted his teeth and leaned forward.

“In that case,” he whispered. “What do _you_ want?” He tightened his grip around Rei’s wrists. “It was a marriage of convenience, and I don’t know what you were thinking when you accepted! Tell me, what do you want?”

Rei leaned in and pressed a kiss flush against Rin’s lips. When he stepped back, Rin’s eyes were wide and Rei released a shuddering breath. “I want to be the only one you see.” The blue-haired man pulled his hands away from Rin’s slackening grip.

“I’m sorry if I’ve been presumptuous. I won’t bring this up again.” He walked away, head bowed, and Rin leaned against the wall, his head spinning. He was a fool. An utter dunderhead.

*******

“You’ve messed up real bad,” Nagisa informed Rin. “Now you’ve got both Haruka and Rei sad.” The king covered his face and groaned. “Thank you for enlightening me about things I already know.”

“Okay,” Nagisa slid off the table. “Here’s what I propose. Considering you’ve got a lot more worrying things to handle, like Rei’s attacker. First, you go talk to Haru and settle everything. And I mean _everything._ Don’t cover it up. Then, you go tell Rei how you feel about him. Genuinely. He’ll understand ‘cause, well, I don’t need to explain to you. And then we find out who hypnotised Tooru and why. Plus, I called for help.”

Rin looked up. “Help?”

The door to the study opened and Sousuke stepped in, a small smile on his face.

Nagisa gestured to him, a wide grin on his face. “Sousuke to the rescue! So he can help you investigate while you settle all your issues.”

“Why are you bossing me around?” Rin scowled at the younger boy. “The last time I checked, _I_ was king.”

“Well, someone’s gotta clean up after your sorry arse,” Nagisa blew a raspberry. He hopped behind Sousuke and made faces at Rin.

“Go ahead, Rin,” Sousuke nodded. “I’ll take care of things for now.”

Rin nodded and squeezed his best friend’s shoulder. “Thanks Sousuke.” He took a look at the blond behind the bigger man and ruffled his hair. “You too, Nagisa.”

***

When Rin bowed his head to Haruka and the feelings he had kept in his heart since he was thirteen came flooding like a dam that had burst, the Undine did not look disgusted or offended. He took everything as it came, only interrupting to grasp Rin’s shoulders as tears pricked his eyes.

“But now I have Rei,” Rin said. “And he’s the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. He’s the one whom I want to give my heart to, fully. I won’t give Makoto any more grief either. So, Haru, I want us to be the same. I’ll come spar with you, and you can hit me like you always do. Is that… too much to ask?”

“Don’t be silly,” Haruka said, finally. Rin flinched, expecting the worst. “I need time to think about it, Rin. But this- It’s not the end of our friendship. We’ve been through too much for that to happen. So promise me you’ll give your all to Rei. He’s a good partner for you, and he cares for the wellbeing of this kingdom and its people as fiercely as you do.”

“I will,” Rin looked into Haru’s piercing sapphire eyes. "I will.”

*******

When Rin entered the bedchamber, Rei was asleep, his chest rising and falling. His glasses were still perched on his nose so Rin took the liberty of helping him place them on the dresser. There was a slight indent on his nose and an unbidden smile ran across Rin's face.

Rei was different. Different from everyone Rin knew. He was unafraid to speak up, yet shy, and it was endearing. The confidence with which he held himself was a quality Rin appreciated. When ruling a kingdom, monarchs had to be strong in the face of adversity - for the people, and for themselves. And more than anything, Rei was _feeling_. He wore his emotions on his face, and he cried just as easily as he threw off an enemy in combat. Within a few months, he had ploughed past Rin’s façade, expressed how he took offence and pushed him to say to Haru what he had been unable to confess for a decade.

This man, he could come to love. This man, he _would_ love. He pulled his boots off and climbed onto the bed, lying opposite him. Rin shifted the man with little effort until he was tucked into his chest, curled up.

“Goodnight, Rei,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to his husband’s forehead.

*******

Rei was walking through nothing. Darkness enveloped him and there was a permeating silence that was deafening. He felt a distant warmth, like it was trying to grab out to him and hold on, but it slipped away and faded into a vague buzz. He fell onto his knees when his wrist began to throb. It felt like someone had stabbed him over and over until he could hardly move. In the darkness, the bracelet around his wrist thrummed and glowed, until it shattered into countless silver shards. Rei’s screams were soundless but he couldn’t be sure if his mouth was even open or not. It rained down on him, leaving an eerie glow in the dark. The mark on his wrist curled and bled further into his skin until it dripped off him and oozed into the surrounding nothingness. He struggled, oh how he struggled to move. His limbs were stiff and unmoving. The darkness wrapped around him and smothered him. He wheezed and choked-

And his eyes opened.

“Rei!”

Rin was lying next to him, seizing his shoulders. “Rei, it’s okay! You’re okay!”

Rei exhaled, tears welling up in his eyes and a sob tearing through his throat. His breathing was uneven for some time, and Rin continued to rub circles on his back, whispering nothings in his ear. With a gasp, Rei pulled at his right arm, examining his wrist. The silver glinted in the faint glow of the moon and he pressed his forehead against Rin’s chest, his heartbeat finally calming.

“Was it a nightmare?” Rin asked, wiping the tears trickling down Rei’s cheeks. The half-Faerie nodded, pulling away from the touch with a start.

“I’m sorry for bothering your sleep. I’ll move to the couch if you would like.”

“No!” Rin pulled him back, keeping him pressed against the bed. “Rei, you were right. I was terrified of telling Haru my feelings, and I was equally scared of the coming rejection. But I told him, and now it feels like I’ve been freed of an impossible weight. Thank you,” his voice was soft. Rei’s eyes widened and a look of genuine surprise ran across his face.

“And Haruka?”

"He appreciated me telling him. And he told me to take good care of you. I haven’t been a very good husband, have I?"

Rei said nothing, looking away. “Rei,” Rin murmured, tilting Rei’s chin so they’d be locking eyes. “I renew our vow. I will protect you as you have promised to protect me. My heart already flutters for you, so understand that when I become unbearable and demanding, you’ll be to blame for igniting this passion in my heart.” He thumbed the stray tears on Rei’s cheeks.

Rei chuckled, a genuine smile running across his face. “I didn’t take you to be so romantic.”

“Oh, you have no idea,” Rin murmured, leaning down and pressing a kiss to Rei’s neck. “Rei, will you accept me tonight?”

The blood rushed to Rei’s cheeks and was a stark contrast to his pale skin that seemed to glow in the light of the moon.

“There’s no question there,” he murmured, locking his arms around Rin’s neck and drawing him in. Rin smiled and captured Rei’s lips in his.

***

When they woke up, the sun was high in the sky. Rei refused to meet Rin’s eyes and buried himself under the covers. Rin fell off the bed, laughing, still in his undressed state. Rei peeked out to hiss “Put on something!” and writhed under the covers. Rin jumped onto the wriggling bundle and he heard Rei’s muffled squawk of indignation.

“Oh come on Rei, you’ve already seen all there is to see!”

Rei peeked out, his face flaming enough to rival the colour of Rin’s hair. “But still!”

Rin laughed and slid under the covers to tickle him, finally trapping him in the cage of his arms.

“In any case,” he pressed a kiss to the reddish-purple bruising on Rei’s shoulder, “I’m glad you’re feeling better than earlier. If you don’t mind telling me what the nightmare was about, I want to hear it.”

Rei turned over, settling on Rin’s outstretched arm. “It’s a long story…”

“I want to know,” Rin insisted. Rei looked into his husband’s eyes and nodded.

He began by tugging off the bracelet on his right wrist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did anyone see some resemblance to a certain confrontation in a certain episode...??? (okay but yes, i was indeed inspired to model the confrontation after the anime one because honestly, it's pretty much the catalyst for rin getting over himself and everyone being happy again, imo) 
> 
> it feels like posting a chapter is becoming a weekly thing, which might be good for my sanity because everytime i post a chapter, i end up reading everything else i wrote orz  
> in any case, ahh!!! they made up! ! ! it took a while to get to this point but i'm glad things turned out this way and well, these precious butterfly husbands have to hold on for more incoming problems ;;  
> thank you so much for the kudos and the comments! i hope this chapter was enjoyable as well m(_ _)m


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **[Glossary]**   
>  _**MysDun (Mystic Dungeon)** \- A training room for Spellbinders _   
>  _**Undine** \- Water-type Faerie _   
>  _**Gnome** \- Earth-type Faerie _   
>  _**Sylph** \- Air-type Faerie _

Footsteps echoed in the dungeon as the knights led the royal couple to where Tooru had been imprisoned. When they got there, Rei’s blood ran cold to see the boy’s sunken cheeks and pale skin. His lips were blue and his eyes rolled to the back of his head occasionally. Faint markings had taken root on his arms and spread to his neck. They were common effects that manifested when a human was hypnotised.

“The imbalance of magic in his body is too great,” Rei diagnosed, pressing his palm against the boy’s forehead. “He’ll succumb to it if he’s not treated soon.”

“And we can’t find out who the perpetrator is unless he’s better,” Seijuurou exhaled.

“It  _ has  _ to be a Faerie, don't you think?” Makoto frowned, turning to Rei for verification.

Rei nodded, stepping away from the boy. "In almost all of reported cases, a Faerie cast the spell. It is possible, however, that a human with enough affinity for magic used a rune of sorts to cast the spell. But the chances of someone being that skilled are low to begin with.”

“So we’ll have to suspect all the Spellbinders?” Rin frowned.

Rei nodded. “Any type of Faerie can cast such a spell. But any traces of the spell had already disappeared when we found out, so it’s difficult to determine who did it.”

“Do you have something in mind?” Rin looked at Rei.

The blue-haired man nodded. “Flight reflects a Faerie’s state of mind and it requires a lot of concentration. Casting forbidden spells exhausts a Faerie for a prolonged period regardless of their skill so they end up dipping in the air and elevating themselves afterwards. Well, it’s not without flaws, but it’s a possibility to check on their flying.”

“Alright,” Seijuurou smiled darkly. “Let’s organise a flying tournament. Under the guise of pitting them against one another in a show of skill, we look out for anyone who doesn’t seem normal.”

“I find it strange,” Aiichirou voiced out. “Why would a Faerie want to attack King Rei?”

“It’s plausible that they don’t like that he’s only of half-Faerie blood.”

“So they took advantage of Tooru,” Rin gritted his teeth.

“What happened?” Rei asked, eyebrows drawn together.

“His parents took in a half-Faerie. She was orphaned from young so her magic was out of control. One day, she was attacked by thugs and his father rushed into help. She was so distressed she ended up hitting everyone in the vicinity with a powerful blast of magic. His father never recovered from it, and he passed away a while later. His mother couldn’t handle the shock and took her own life. Tooru was devastated, and it only got worse when his sister left, apologising for everything. He never heard from her again but he’s been looking this whole time.”

“That’s monstrous,” Rei looked at the boy. “To take advantage of his feelings like that and manipulate him...”

Rin pulled Rei out of the cell and the knights locked it up. If Tooru’s condition worsened, they would have to isolate him in another chamber in the castle. Rin squeezed Rei’s shoulder. “We’ll find a way to cure him.”

Rei nodded. “For now, let’s focus on the Court.”

Rin sighed. “Some of them are insufferable.”

“And I wish they’d take me seriously,” Rei scowled. “What do they take me for?”

“You can throw a tantrum.” Rin sounded genuine. “And you can wreak all the havoc you want. I’m all for it.”

“Well, since you expressed no objection,” Rei turned to his husband, lips upturned, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

They walked into the room and the courtiers turned to look at them. Rei took his place next to Rin, his fingers interlaced together.

*******

“The threat of the Shigino grows by the day, Your Highness,” one courtier looked to Rin. “We should prepare for war.”

“What evidence are you basing that one?” Rei asked. “If it is only a threat, we should not provoke them.”

“Their Riders are getting closer to the kingdom, Majesty. Dangerously close, in fact,” one of the knights spoke up. “We’ve been sending out guards to watch the borders, but it is chilling.”

“I thought relations with the Shigino were peaceful. Why, just last year, did they not promise that the Prince would visit this year’s Winter Ball?”

“They’re liars,” someone spat. “And they will continue to be. The Prince comes over. So what? They’re still plotting an invasion.”

When Rin spoke, the buzz died down. “I am as worried as all of you are about the Shigino. But the war ended a hundred years ago, and they have not been aggressive in any way. While the Riders are indeed worrying, we must maintain the peace and give them as little reason to attack as possible.”

“In any case,” Rei added, “the Winter Ball is still a few months away. We have plenty of time to contact Prince Kisumi and build favourable relations. I heard he is a pleasant and vibrant prince with a positive disposition.”

“What you have heard may not add up to reality,” a courtier murmured. Rei threw a glare in his direction.

‘It never hurt anyone to try.”

“Yeah,” Nagisa scowled. “Most alliances work out because both parties try peaceful means first.”

They quietened down and seemed to consider the idea for a while.

“Why not, then?” Seijuurou voiced out. “We’ll try being civil and if it works out, then there’s no problem. We will continue to build up our defences and no one loses out.”

Rin and Rei had won most of the courtiers over by the end of the meeting.

“That’s one thing down,” Rei smiled at Rin as they filed out after dismissing the Court.

“The two of you won them over!” Nagisa gestured in a fit of excitement. “They’re such stubborn sticks in the mud for the most part.” Aiichirou nodded his agreement.

The pair exchanged smiles. Nagisa was watching them with a hawk-eyed gaze. Rei blinked and cleared his throat. “Is there anything, Nagisa?”

“I often talk to the maids below stairs,” he began, and Rei was already covering his ears.

“The sheets!” he whispered, but it wasn’t exactly a whisper because everyone around them all stumbled for a second or so. Aiichirou turned crimson and he looked around, anywhere but the couple.  

Rin groaned and kicked Nagisa’s bottom. “Why are you so shameless?”

“We’re all awaiting good things,” Nagisa wiggled his eyebrows in response, hopping around as he nursed the afflicted area.

“Nagisa, stop,” Rei moaned, as if he were in physical pain. “This is mortifying!”

“The rumours are bad enough already, so there’s nothing to lose,” the valet snickered.

“Oh stop, Nagisa, please,” Aiichirou begged, one hand pressed over the blond’s mouth.

“Thank god my mother went to Yamazaki with Gou,” Rin shook his head.

“Indeed, it’s a relief the Queen is not here to witness this,” Rei pinched his nose. “But why is Sousuke still here?”

“I have some of our most experienced knights with my mother and Gou, so they’ll be safe. I called Sousuke over because he was nearby and I figured we could do with him as part of the audience to fire the Spellbinders up.”

Rei nodded in understanding and they headed to the Mysdun, their valets following them. The door to magic-infused place swung open.

“Sera!” Rei greeted the older Faerie, a smile blooming on his face. He walked over and they began talking animatedly. Nagisa elbowed Rin in the ribs and gave the pair a meaningful glance. Rin rolled his eyes heavenwards and ignored the blond. He saw Haruka in his tub in the corner, eyes shut tight.

He cleanly avoided the shot of water that came flying at him.  _ Subtle, Haru.  _ When it appeared that his husband and Sera were not done catching up yet, he walked up to Rei and wrapped an arm around his waist.

“Might I ask what you’re discussing with such enthusiasm?”

Sera gave him a smile and shook his head. “It’s nothing much, Your Majesty.”

Rin clicked his tongue. “What did I say about formalities?”

Sera pretended to wrack his brains. ‘I can’t seem to remember. How mysterious.”

They burst into uncontrollable chuckles and only stopped when a jet of water doused them.

“Haruka!” Rei all but screeched, hands wrapped around himself. “Not again!” He directed a blade of wind in Haruka’s direction, throwing the Spellbinders in his path off balance. Rin coughed and shook the water off his soggy clothes in disbelief. Sera had deflected the water (and effectively splashed Rin even more). He pulled off his cloak to wrap it around Rei.

“Reminiscent, isn’t it?” 

Rei nodded in the midst of a sneeze. “Too reminiscent.” 

Rin’s eyebrows scrunched together and there was a slight downturn to his lips but he kept quiet. Nagisa came by to elbow him in the side again, holding back laughter. Aiichirou kept his cool and offered Rin a robe big enough to cover him up to his waist. 

“Why did you come by, anyway?” Sera turned to them, curious. “It’s rare to see Rin here, at least.” 

“Actually,” Rei began, and Rin continued, “We were thinking of holding a Spellbinder Tournament.” 

Sera’s eyebrows shot up and the other Spellbinders present stopped to stare. 

“It’d be more fun that just training here, so we decided to have something like the Knight Tournament for Spellbinders.” 

“Sounds interesting,” Sera fingered his chin, thoughtful. He looked around and asked the others if they would be interested. There was unanimous agreement amongst the Spellbinders and Rei took a deep breath. It was their first step to finding out who the culprit was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i was re-reading the earlier chapters (what's new) and i discovered some horrendous typos that i somehow missed - seems like it's destined to happen no matter how many times i read the same thing over and over orz  
> anyways, this is a fairly short chapter but i'll try to post the next one tomorrow or the day after because, well, some fairly exciting things happen //sparkles  
> and of course, happy chinese new year!! (to anyone who celebrates, because i don't but it's pretty special here)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **[Glossary]**   
>  _**MysDun (Mystic Dungeon)** \- A training room for Spellbinders _   
>  _**Undine** \- Water-type Faerie _   
>  _**Gnome** \- Earth-type Faerie _   
>  _**Sylph** \- Air-type Faerie _   
>  _**Salamander** \- Fire-type Faerie _

They set the tournament to be held in a month and a half. Over the course of the following weeks, Rei helped out with the preparations, casting his alchemy aside. It was to take place in the courtyard so he worked together with the Spellbinders to barricade the area. It was a precaution lest some magic deflect and hit a bystander.

At the end of the day, Rei would collapse in bed and fall asleep almost immediately. Rin was equally busy with paperwork and maintaining tight defence. He didn’t push Rei for company either for he knew the younger man used his magic daily and that it was surely taking a toll on his human side. Rin occasionally traced the bracelet on Rei’s hand. It shimmered upon touch, dazzling. He could not discard the distant thought that the Shigino were looking for a half-Faerie bearing a mark documented in old scrolls.

He had sent the first of what would be a series of letters to Prince Kisumi. They had first met as children, and the pink-haired boy had been an overly clingy brat. From their many encounters, he could not imagine that Kisumi had grown into a corrupt prince with thoughts of bloodshed in mind. The replies were amicable and Kisumi always expressed his excitement at seeing him again, along with the rest of their childhood friends.

If it wasn’t Kisumi, where was the threat coming from?

With a sigh, Rei fell into yet another restless sleep.

*******

The morning of the Spellbinder Tournament, the castle was abuzz. The Spellbinders were already drifting down the hallways, heading towards the courtyard. Rin scoured the halls for Rei who hadn’t been next to him when he woke up. He found the half-Faerie pacing in the library, pale and looking green at the same time. Nagisa was trying to stop him and get him to sit.

“Rei? What’s going on?”

“I’m not sure but it’s awful,” Rei covered his mouth. “I ate something that smelled foul this morning.” There were dark circles around his eyes and he looked downright exhausted.

“That’s no good,” Rin frowned. “Nagisa, what did he eat?”

“It was some bread and eggs, but it must have gone bad,” Nagisa pressed a finger against his forehead. “And no, before you say anything, it’s not poisoned. I ate pretty much the same thing. Unless…” His eyes grew impossibly wide.

He grabbed Rei’s arm and pulled him out. "Rin, wait here! We’ll be back real fast."

“Where are you taking me, Nagisa?” Rei managed, his nausea growing by the passing second. His stomach rumbled in discomfort. Nagisa pulled Rei into his bedchamber where a maid was cleaning up.  

“Your Majesty? Nagisa?” she looked up at them.

“Have you noticed anything lately?” Nagisa asked, pointing at Rei who was puffing his cheeks in a bid to keep the bile from rising up his throat.

Her eyes flicked from Rei to Nagisa. “His Majesty emptied the contents of his stomach into the chamber pot quite a number of times these past days. Not to mention, he’s been having some dizzy spells.” She paused and stared at Rei before giving him a bright smile. “I daresay those are some telltale signs. We all noticed earlier.”

“Signs?” Rei looked at her, his mind a whirl of confusion and acute discomfort.

Nagisa patted his stomach and beamed at him. “You’re pregnant, Rei!”

Rei’s wrist burned.

He stared at the two of them in astonishment. “You’re not teasing me?”

Nagisa snorted. “I’m sure you’ve felt changes in your body and mood as of late.”

Rei pressed his hands to his stomach in wonder. “We’re having a baby,” he breathed, nausea reduced to a dull throb. Nagisa and the maid smiled at him.

Rei looked at the two of them. “Well, if it’s truly that... I wonder if I should tell him after the tournament? Rin, I mean.”

“Yeah, it’ll be a great surprise after all the tension,” Nagisa gave him a secret smile. The maid pressed a finger to her lips, promising to keep quiet about it. They agreed to see Miho, Rei’s physician, after the tournament and then sped back to where Rin was waiting. His brows were furrowed in concentration and he looked over at the two of them.

“What happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m feeling much better,” Rei responded, unable to keep the smile from blooming across his face. “Don’t worry, Rin. Let’s go, I’m sure they’ll be waiting.” Rei took Rin’s hand in his and the trio walked towards the courtyard.

The first pair of Spellbinders were standing opposite each other in the centre, their cloaks bellowing about them.

With the arrival of the Royals, the tournament was signalled to start. Nagisa sat next to Rei, whispering to Aiichirou who was on his left. The Spellbinders took their opponents out one by one, until the last two battles were between Haruka and another brown-haired Spellbinder called Kazuki, and that between Sera and the Salamander Takuya.

As the Tournament progressed, Rei had not noticed any abnormalities and his heart thudded with worry as Haruka and Kazuki faced off. Kazuki was a Sylph like Rei, and his mastery of the element was almost at Haruka’s level. As they took to the air, it was rather obvious that he would be more comfortable. Rei did not see a dip in either when they faced off. With a brutal whip of water, Haruka threw Kazuki off balance and send him out of the ring. They bowed to the cheering spectators and walked off as Sera and Takuya took to the centre. Takuya’s fire would be a formidable opponent to Sera’s earth magic.

A crowd had gathered around the area. Servants and nobility alike were hooting for their favoured contenders. Sera seemed to be the popular choice. Rin drew his mouth close to Rei’s ear.

“Have you noticed anything strange, so far?” he murmured.

Rei shook his head. “I’m wondering if this will even work.”

Rin squeezed his hand. “It’s better than nothing.”

“Begin!” Seijuurou shouted, bringing the flag down. With a burst of speed, Sera dragged his opponent down without even lifting himself into the air. Takuya fell to the ground, but he recovered fast, setting fire to the vines that had encircled his legs. With a hiss, they burned to the ground and Takuya flew up, putting up a circle of fire around him. There was a faint shimmer and Rei’s heart dropped to his stomach when he saw the small dip in Takuya’s position in the air. He rose a little higher, and the longer he stayed in the air, the more his involuntary descent became visible. Some of the knights closer to the ring seemed to have realised as well.

Sera attacked Takuya’s weak point, grabbing him from behind and planting him to the ground. The crowd cheered. Sera turned to the audience and flourished a bow. He held eye contact with Rei, all smiles. Rei tried to return the sentiment, but his eyes flicked to Takuya too often, his heart thudding away.

“On to our final match,” Seijuurou announced, “Sera against Haruka!”

The crowd went wild, and Haruka and Sera faced off. They attacked at the same time, and their respective magic deflected and neutralised the attacks. Haruka looked stony, but his eyes seemed to sparkle with excitement. Encasing himself in a shield of water, he lifted himself into the air and Sera flew closer to the Undine, trying to break past the barrier. A gasp of disbelief tore through Rin and Rei turned to him, perplexed.

“Haru, he dropped...” Rin uttered.

Rei turned back to Haruka, realising with growing alarm that Haruka _was_ indeed sinking slightly in the air. But that didn’t make much sense- Takuya had dipped in the air as well, and he couldn’t fathom why Haruka would have wanted to cast a forbidden spell.

Rei stood and walked closer to the outlook, observing that Haruka only dropped every time Sera attacked. Sera was a Gnome, an earth-type Faerie. It was entirely possible that his magic pulled Haruka down, an unintended side-effect. With Takuya, the man had dipped in the air even before Sera began his attack. From the looks of it, the knights looked ready to pull both Haruka and Takuya out the moment the tournament ended.

It was a close battle, but Haruka’s split-second reaction threw Sera out of the ring. He landed with an ‘oomph’ and picked himself up. The crowd cheered for Haruka’s victory. Rei presented the gold-emblazoned medal to Haruka, raising his hand up for all to see. The catcalls and cheers grew louder, and Rei could see Makoto standing next to Seijuurou, looking immensely proud of his lover.

Seijuurou met Rei’s eyes and looked questioningly in Haruka’s direction. Rei gave him a subtle shake of his head. He would explain later. Sera walked up to them and gave Haruka an affable shake of hands.

“Well-fought,” he smiled. Haruka gave him a nod.

There was an immense celebration afterwards while the knights helped the servants to clear up the barricades set up for the tournament in the courtyard. Rei shared what he had noticed with the Cavalry Captains and Rin. It was better, they rationalised, to keep an eye on Takuya without raising too much alarm.

They held a banquet in the evening, and there were all too many plates of food piled up before Haruka. Rei was horrified to see they were all various forms of mackerel.

“You don’t want to go anywhere near him,” Rin told him. “His obsession for mackerel is beyond me.”

Normally, Rei would find the steaming bread and venison appetising but the smells were unsettling and his stomach turned. Covering his mouth, he excused himself and Nagisa followed him out to a nearby room as he retched into the chamber pot. His stomach was empty, and all that came up was bile.

“I don’t think I can eat anything,” he groaned, standing up and clutching his stomach.

“Drink some soup,” Nagisa told him. “You need nourishment so that you’ll stay healthy throughout this time.”

They headed back to the Dining Hall where Sousuke and Rin were having an animated discussion. Nagisa asked one of the scullery maids to send some soup. She took a look at Rei and nodded in apparent understanding. Rei’s throat burned, but he swallowed the soup down and excused himself early. Rin worried over him but he told his husband to enjoy his meal and join him later. He was walking down the hallway when he saw Takuya disappear around a bend. He followed the Spellbinder, pressing his lips together as he realised the Faerie was heading to the dungeon. There were no knights around - all occupied at the courtyard or deployed outside.

He hid behind the wall, peering out to witness Takuya grab the bars of Tooru’s cell. They had been doing their best to sustain Tooru but the human boy didn’t have much time before his heart stopped beating.  

“Tooru, hang on,” Takuya’s voice echoed. “I’m sorry,” his voice broke, “I’m sorry for doing this to you. I’ll find a way to heal you.” All Rei heard was a pained moan in response. He bit his lip. Takuya was feeling guilty? Why? Had he controlled Tooru unwillingly? Nothing seemed to add up. He didn’t understand why Takuya would hold a grudge against the boy either.

Rei decided the the best course of action would be to confront the Spellbinder. As he made a move to walk further in, he saw a dark shadow behind Takuya. The man gave a shout of surprise, and Rei froze, chilled to the bone. Takuya was lifted into the air, his hands around his neck as he choked and his legs swung wildly in the air. Rei tugged a vial out of his tunic and flung it at the shadow, hearing a grunt of pain as it struck the attacker. Whoever it was, dropped Takuya and backed away, melting into the shadows of the dungeon. Rei rushed to the Salamander as he went limp. The lack of air had rendered him unconscious. Rei put up a barrier of air, lest the attacker came for Takuya again. His heart pounding, he pulled the man up to his feet, stumbling forward a little. Taking a glance around, he dragged Takuya out, heart palpitating in his chest.

He broke into a half-run, the Faerie weighing down on his side. “Guards!” Rei shouted, his voice cracking. “Someone!”

“Rei!”

Sera emerged from another bend in the hallway, his eyes wide with concern. “What happened to him?”

“I’ll explain later,” Rei huffed, as Sera slung Takuya’s other arm over his shoulder. “For now, alert the knights. We have to get him to a safe place.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (there's more mistakes/typos evidently but i'll get around to checking them again)  
> good news!!! but also lots of confusion this chapter ;; ;;;


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **[Glossary]**   
>  _**MysDun (Mystic Dungeon)** \- A training room for Spellbinders _   
>  _**Undine** \- Water-type Faerie _   
>  _**Gnome** \- Earth-type Faerie _   
>  _**Sylph** \- Air-type Faerie _   
>  _**Salamander** \- Fire-type Faerie _

They kept the matter under wraps and moved Takuya to a room that was hidden to most. Tooru had been shifted to an adjacent chamber, given his worsening condition. Takuya was unable to talk and his magic was fizzing out of control. Rei stayed by the Spellbinder’s side for hours sometimes, hoping the man would come to his senses. It seemed, however, that his attacker had incapacitated him. Rei couldn’t work out if the attacker had been another Faerie or a human, but he understood then that the threat was bigger than what they had predicted at first. The assailant had manipulated Takuya and Tooru in turn, but for what purpose?

Amidst all the chaos and disconcertment, he had missed all chances to tell Rin about his pregnancy. He was only a few weeks into the pregnancy and he still looked the same as he had before, save for his stomach growing a little more pudgy and his muscles losing the firm curves. It was a starless night that he was about to tell Rin when a horrible cry rang through the castle. They sat up, hair on end. Outside, they heard the knights run past and the castle stirring awake. There were urgent knocks on the door and Rei pulled on a coat, slipping off the bed as Rin grabbed the sword by the bedside and walked up to the door. He pushed the door open. Makoto stood outside, his face ashen.

“Rin, it’s Takuya.”

“What happened?” Rei walked up to Rin, heart in his throat.

Makoto’s clear green eyes were clouded. “Whoever tried to attack him, finished their job.”

“How?!” Rin demanded, his eyes blazing with fury. “It was heavily guarded! And it wasn’t disclosed to anyone but the Cavalier Captains and whoever was present that night.”

Rei groaned, his head spinning. “I should have stayed with him.”

“No!” Rin barked. “You aren’t responsible. I swear I’ll find the perpetrator and slay him with my own hands. Take me there, Mako.”

The Cavalier Captain nodded, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Rei walked out with them and closed the door behind him. “I’m coming.”

They sprinted to the room in the tower. The guards outside of the room had been knocked out. There were a few knights tending to them. Rei’s stomach heaved and he pushed down the nausea when he saw the crimson splatters on the room walls. The knights had already covered Takuya’s body with a white cloth, but the blood had soaked through and they had to layer another on top of it.

“The injuries are too severe to identify if it was the work of a Faerie or a human,” Seijuurou reported, his expression unreadable. Momotarou was standing at the foot of the bed with his fists clenched. He was trembling, lips set in a thin line.

“We already have men searching the area,” Makoto walked up to them, anger set in the stiff curve of his lips. “The attacker should still be in the vicinity.”

Rin nodded, anger emanating off him in waves. “Send the rest of the knights out and call the Spellbinders up. Scour the castle for anyone suspicious.” He walked up to the covered corpse and placed a hand on the top of the cloth, closing his eyes and murmuring a blessing. He looked up at those present. “We will not let his attacker get away.”

Night turned to morning, and the castle was abuzz with muted panic. Rei made several rounds around castle, assuring the occupants that the knights had everything covered. Nagisa accompanied him, comforting those who had been closer to Takuya. No doubt that the attacker had wanted to ensure the Spellbinder's silence, lest his identity was revealed.  He had chosen a time when Takuya was feeble, and it was likely he had done something to weaken the Spellbinder minutes before he attempted to strangle him. None of them slept a wink, and Rin called for a meeting in the wee hours of the morning.

Only a select few courtiers and some of the Spellbinders had been invited. The knights stood guard at the door outside, keeping away anyone with prying eyes. Rin leaned forward, his hands interlocked.

“I never imagined this would happen in the castle premises. But this is the reality. The first time, it was an attack directed at Rei, and we don’t know why because Tooru and Takuya were controlled by this unknown entity. Either the criminal has something against Rei or the Faerie kingdom, or they might try to instigate a war and ruin the alliance. I have been making correspondence with Prince Kisumi and there has been no hostility. Perhaps I was wrong in assuming the better of him.”

“I heard something on the wind,” Sousuke stood. He was big and formidable, and commanded attention of everyone in the room. His teal eyes were hard. “The Shigino kingdom is on the hunt for the Spiraal.” Rei froze. He made a quick assessment of the room. Some of those present looked stupefied, but the rest remained calm. So some of them knew about the existence of the mark - the Spiraal. He looked to Rin and the king interlaced their hands, giving him a comforting squeeze.

“The Spiraal?” Haruka enquired, eyes trained on Sousuke.

“Everyone knows about the Battle of Mutare. The devastating battle that the humans began, and it ended with a rift that took a century to heal. The only reason it even ended was because of the part-Faerie, Juunin. He had both human and Faerie blood in him, and a special gift that helped him bring the battle to a stop.”

The courtiers nodded. “Mastery of all the elements,” Sera pointed out.

“Exactly,” Sousuke frowned. “While Faeries are normally born with a single type of elemental magic, Juunin, despite having only a quarter of Faerie blood, could control all four.”

“But what does that have to do with this.. Spiraal?” It was Seijuurou.

“Juunin wasn’t the only one born with all the kinds of magic,” Sousuke answered. A ripple of confusion ran through the room.

“You mean there were more?”

“There were,” Sousuke confirmed. “After Juunin, there were stories of children born with control over all the elements. They were rare, but they definitely existed. And before these children were born, there was a sign.”

“It can’t be- The Spiraal?”  

The Crown Prince of the Yamazaki Kingdom nodded. “There was a distinct mark that appeared on the mother’s body. And all of them had one thing in common - they were half-Faerie. But that wasn’t the only thing. Their partners were all human.”

Rei squirmed in discomfort, and he broke into a cold sweat.

“So the Shigino are looking for the one with the Spiraal? But how can they even be sure it exists?”

“They have Spellbinders who double as Diviners,” Rin’s voice reverberated in the room. “And it’s possible they got wind of news that the Spiraal had appeared somewhere.”

“But what would they want with the one who bears the Spiraal?” Nagisa frowned.

“I have two possibilities in mind,” Haruka said. Everyone turned to him in barely disguised surprise. He was reserved, and rarely spoke up in court. “The first is that they want to destroy any chances of such a powerful entity even being born. The second… they want to take the mother hostage and make the child their puppet to wage a war in other kingdoms.”

“But why attack His Majesty-” one of them began, before his eyes widened in dismay.  Rei swallowed and Rin tightened his grip on his hand.

“They might suspect Rei of having a Spiraal. He’s not the only half-Faerie amongst the kingdoms, but compared to his brother, he is a Carrier. It seems the Shigino aren’t taking any chances if their plan is to attack those who fit the criteria.”

A collective silence fell upon them as they digested the information.

“What’s our contingency plan?” Seijuurou asked, tapping his fingers on the table. “We can’t let the attacker get away with killing Takuya right under our noses. Tooru is on the verge of death, and His Majesty could be attacked at any point in time. If any of this discord gets out, the Shigino will find the chinks in our armour.”

“I plan to continue correspondence with Prince Kisumi,” Rin announced. “While it is highly likely that they  _ are _ the ones who instigated all this, it’s better not to let them know we’ve discovered something is wrong. On the other hand, we'll have to tighten our defences, and make sure no one talks about this and lets it get outside. Nagisa, I want you to stay with Rei whenever I’m not around. Sera, it’s in my best interest to trust you to support Nagisa since you’re a Spellbinder. Haruka will join us in our investigations and in tightening the overall defence.”

They both nodded, and Rei looked down, the burden of his secret weighing him down. The nausea was getting worse.

"Alright, for now we’re going to discuss our tactics. Knights and Spellbinders stay. The rest of you get some rest. We’re up for some difficult days ahead." They nodded and the meeting was adjourned, with Rin pressing a kiss against Rei’s cheek before leading the rest to another room. Nagisa was silent as he accompanied Rei to his room, his magenta eyes watery.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” he sighed as they entered the bedchamber. “I wish things didn’t have to be so terrible. Why start a war when we can live in peace and argue about silly things like trade agreements and how many cows escaped from one territory to another?”

Rei pulled the blond into a hug. “History is fraught with mindless wars. Instigated out of nothing but the greed and selfishness that resides in every single one of us. For some, it manifests in the most terrible of ways. But do not worry, Nagisa. I believe in Rin, and everyone around us. We will make it through this.”

“I’ll protect you,” Nagisa promised. “Is it alright if I keep you company until Rin comes?”

Rei nodded, sitting on the bed and drawing his knees up. “I would have liked to accompany Rin, but war is not my specialty. I should focus on learning to defend myself better. The last thing I want is to become a burden.”

“You’d never be one,” Nagisa looked offended at the statement. “And you have me and Sera to help. Believe it or not, I was always training with the knights before I was assigned to be your valet. I’ve never won against Seijuurou but against Momotarou, I’ve reigned victorious many times.”

“I don’t doubt your skill,” Rei laughed. “I’m feeling worn down so I’ll sleep. I haven’t told Rin about it yet, you know, the child…Since I consulted Miho and she said I am indeed pregnant.”

“Oh boy. If you tell him now, his protectiveness might get stifling.”

Rei nodded, drifting off. “I can only hope to soothe his nerves so that he won’t worry too much about me.”

*******

Rei woke to the sound low murmurs, and in his sleep-induced state, he vaguely registered Nagisa bidding him goodnight and walking out. The bed dipped behind him and then warmth blossomed against his back.

“Rei?” Rin nuzzled the back of his neck. “Are you awake?”

“Mn.” The half-Faerie turned to face Rin, curling into the warmth of his chest. “I fell asleep,” he yawned. Rin rested his chin on top of Rei’s head.

“Sorry for taking so long.”

Rei pulled away a little to frown at his husband. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. You’re ensuring our safety.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Rin chuckled. “I appreciate your patience, then.”

They stay curled together like that for a few minutes. The curtains were drawn, and no one would have been able to tell it was late morning except for the stray rays of light sneaking in through the gaps.

“How do you feel?” Rin asked, quiet.

“Conflicted,” Rei told him honestly. “No matter how I think about it, if I didn’t have the mark, or if I hadn’t been born half-Faerie, none of this would have happened. But I hate feeling like that because I want to embrace both sides of me.”

Rin drew him into a gentle kiss, nibbling his lips. When he let Rei go, he pressed their foreheads together. “I hate that Takuya’s death was unnecessary, and if we had been more vigilant, perhaps we could have saved him. I didn’t take the urgent action we needed. I wanted these peaceful days to continue. It was wishful thinking. My amends to him- I’ll make them by protecting everyone else."

Rei sat up, holding Rin’s gaze. The king leaned up on his elbows, puzzled. “You have one more to protect,” Rei told him, breaking into a soft smile. He placed his hands on his slightly swollen stomach, revelling in the way Rin’s jaws went slack and his eyes grew impossibly wide.

“You’re-” Rin struggled, looking between Rei and his stomach. “You’re really?”

“That’s the best news I’ve heard all week,” Rin whispered, gazing at Rei with an almost reverent gaze. The corners of his eyes were reddened, and Rei could see the tears glazing his red eyes. He took Rei’s outstretched arm and pulled the bracelet off, tracing the Spiraal. He pressed a reverent kiss on the mark, and Rei looked away, abashed. “I’ll protect the both of you. It’s a promise.”

“It felt wrong to tell you,” Rei bit his lip. “With what happened to Takuya, is it really alright to celebrate this? I thought about it a lot.”

“You know, before we made up and all, when I sparred with Takuya, he was so excited about the future child he told me all the names he had in mind. It’s not wrong, Rei, to be happy about a new life. We can only take care of the living when the dead are gone.” Rei could tell Rin was thinking of his father, of all the people he had lost over the years. He pulled Rin into a tight embrace and murmured anything that came to his mind.

Rin started pressing kisses to Rei’s neck, bordering on biting. He bit Rei’s earlobe and received a look of disapproval in return. Rei’s expression softened. “You can, before you ask.”

Rin brushed hair out of Rei’s eyes and left butterfly kisses on his eyelids, his cheeks, along his well-defined jaw and then indulged in pressing his mouth hotly against Rei’s. When he did let go, Rei was breathing hard, his cheeks dusted a tantalising pink that had spread to the tips of his ears. His violet eyes had turned a shade darker, and the gold swirled turbulently in the depths. They gazed into each other’s eyes - time spanning in between fleeting and eternal - and then Rei pushed Rin off himself and pinned him down instead. Rei ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up and Rin was trapped by the sensual image of his husband.

“I love you,” Rei murmured, bending down to steal a kiss from Rin. It was half a struggle, disrobing themselves, amidst stolen kisses and breathy laughs.

*******

Long after, when Rei woke up, he wondered if his husband had spent more time kissing his stomach instead of making love to him.  
  
When Rin woke up, however, Rei had more to worry about when his husband’s beatific expression contorted, as if he had realised something most alarming. 

“Don’t tell me you knew about the child when you went after Takuya in the dungeon…” 

The unbidden guilt that crossed Rei’s face was enough. 

“You’re too reckless!” Rin scowled. “Imagine the attacker had been after you, what then?” 

“The reality of it at the time was difficult to grasp,” Rei looked down. “I will take better care of myself from now on, Rin.” 

Rin thumbed the side of Rei’s downcast face, sighing. “Don’t go anywhere by yourself, it’ll give me less heartache.” 

Rei nodded, breaking out into a small smile. “It’s amazing, isn’t it? We’re going to be parents.” 

“I still can’t believe it,” Rin murmured, pressing a hand gently against Rei’s stomach. “Thank you, Rei,” he locked gazes with the younger man. “Thank you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhhhHHH H w hat's happening- 
> 
> (im gonna pretend i don't know) 
> 
> but more things are happening!?!? and ofc yaas butterfly husbands are gonna be dads ;;  
> i'm a little drunk (on pretty much nothing), probably 'cause it's rather late here.
> 
> thank you so much you fantastic people for always commenting and leaving kudos, it really boosts my ego and faith in the survival of the fandom <33
> 
> (i'll do a proper check of this chapter again soon)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **[Glossary]**   
>  _**MysDun (Mystic Dungeon)** \- A training room for Spellbinders _   
>  _**Undine** \- Water-type Faerie _   
>  _**Gnome** \- Earth-type Faerie _   
>  _**Sylph** \- Air-type Faerie _   
>  _**Salamander** \- Fire-type Faerie _

Early afternoon. The atmosphere in the castle was solemn and dreary, like the mourning attire they donned. Takuya’s funeral was held within the castle; there was no grand procession. They paid their last respects before the body was placed in a coffin and sent for burial at a cemetery not too far away. Coffins were a luxury only the rich could afford, but Rei knew Rin hadn’t wanted the Spellbinder’s death to be cast aside without a thought.

The weeks that whizzed by brought with them the first brushes of winter and snow began to fall from the grey skies. The castle regained its usual cheer and liveliness as the royal couple prepared for a visit from Rei’s family. He had a more obvious bulge, so it wasn’t long before they decided to announce the conception of their child. The courtiers rejoiced, and the news spread throughout the kingdom like wildfire.

Pixies flew into the castle days before the scheduled arrival of Rei’s family and bombarded him with questions about his well-being and his husband. They swatted Rin away, and the King sulked in the knights’ barracks for nights on end, until Rei stormed in and dragged him back to their bedchamber.

Sousuke, meanwhile, had returned to his kingdom to see his fiancée and the Queen. While they had wanted to return at once upon hearing about Takuya, Sousuke had requested that they stay in his kingdom until things settled down. The trio made their way back to Samezuka the very day the Ryuugazaki family arrived.

They held a lunch banquet, serving steaming platters to warm up their chilled guests. Raiden introduced his fiancée, Princess Chigusa, who had accompanied him, and she hit it off with Gou almost immediately. The Queens were conversing while Rin tried to keep his calm under the watchful gaze of the monarch of the Ryuugazaki kingdom.

“Rei told me about the disturbances,” he began. Rin nodded, swallowing and hoping his voice came out confident, rather than that of a braying donkey.

“We’ve done everything we can to tighten our defence and keep a watch out for anything out of place. If the worse comes to worst, our army is ready to face off the Shigino. It’s a last resort, however, Your Majesty.”

“We’re equals,” Rei’s father smiled, finally. “Please, call me Isamu”.  

Raiden looked over the table and his face convulsed at the heap of food on Rei’s plate. “ _ Why _ are you adding so much syrup to the pickles?”

Rei frowned at his brother. “Why not? It tastes fantastic. You’re evidently missing out.”

Rei’s mother laughed, and Rin felt torn between joining in the laughter and helping Rei get more pickles. “I used to do that all the time,” Queen Akemi explained, gesturing in Raiden’s direction. My husband was so obstinate. He wouldn’t stop trying to get the servants to trick me and switch it up to something a little less bizarre.” 

The King shrugged helplessly. “I was worried you’d turn into a pickle.”

“It’s  _ good _ , though,” Rei emphasised, eating a spoonful and Rin covered his face. “It’s honestly not as bad as watching him eat onions with salt every meal for an entire  _ week _ .”

“You need to be more understanding, Rin,” his mother shook her head. “When I was with you, I troubled your father to get the cooks to bake every kind of pastry available. It’s no wonder I was extra chubby afterwards, although you were pretty voracious. I was hungry almost all the time.”

Rei snickered, a trickle of syrup running down the corner of his mouth. Rin picked up a napkin with a despairing sigh and helped Rei wipe it off, after which he poured a plateful of syrup and pickles for his husband. When he looked up, everyone was staring.

“What?” he spluttered, turning as red as the roots of his hair.

“Nothing,” Queen Karen gave him a knowing smile, and they resumed their meal, sharing the happenings in the time they had not seen one another. After the meal, the Queens and the Princesses grabbed Rei and dragged him along with them. It had been part of the half-Faerie’s agenda to spend time on his alchemy but that was not destined to be. Rin could only stare as they spirited his husband away.

“Women are terrifying,” he concluded, and Sousuke could only nod.

“You have no clue how many portraits of my muscles Gou had painted _. _ ”

Rin whacked him on the shoulder. “What are you doing to her?”

Sousuke rolled his eyes heavenward. “I doubt it’s got anything to do with me. And I won’t be surprised if she has portraits of Rei’s, I quote, ‘fine muscles’”.

“What?” Rin’s jaw dropped.

“And a whole array of others.”

Upon hearing that, Rin spent the rest of the afternoon challenging Sousuke to jousts, much to the annoyance of Haruka who had been called in as an arbitrator for lack of available assistants; Aiichirou was attending to a matter in town, and Nagisa was accompanying Rei, along with Sera.

“I hope you succumb to your stupidity,” Haruka told them, as if he were commenting on the weather. He sneezed occasionally and glared at them every time he did. It was gelid outside, and the snow was starting to take over the ground.

Rei, meanwhile, was being manhandled and given almost overwhelming advice to help him along with his pregnancy. Gou promised to take good care of him, and he got the chills. Sera and Nagisa stood around looking perpetually amused. It seemed that they recognised his pleas for help, but preferred to laze about and watch him suffer.

“What sort of friends are you?” he mouthed, as another item of clothing was thrown at him. They shrugged and turned back to each other to resume whatever conversation they had been having. Rei escaped when his stomach heaved and he excused himself to go to the bedchamber and relieve himself. Sera and Nagisa followed him into the room but allowed him the privacy of emptying his stomach into the chamber pot.

Rei was about to exit the room when he heard muffled voices.

“What should we do? If Rei founds out, then it’ll be in vain.”

“We should stick to what I suggested.”

“If Rin gets involved…”

“Nevermind. We’ll discuss this at length another time. For now, play it normal.”

Sera and Nagisa fell silent.

Rei broke into a cold sweat. What were they talking about? His mind was a whirlpool of possibilities. It couldn’t be - forbid the thought - that they were involved in the events of the previous months… could it? But they were his friends, and they helped him whenever he needed the support. There was nothing to gain from it-

A fleeting thought ran through his mind.

_ And it wasn’t disclosed to anyone but the Cavalier Captains and whoever was present that night. _

It was what Rin had uttered in the heat of the moment, upon hearing about Takuya’s passing.  

Sera had been there when Takuya was attacked. And _both_ Nagisa and Sera had known where Takuya had been hidden, in the castle tower. A cold chill settled in Rei’s heart but he took a deep breath and cleared his mind. He didn’t want to suspect them - wouldn’t. He pushed the door open and the two of them smiled at him. Rei hadn’t noticed before, but the discomfort that had settled within him gave their expressions a sinister quality he couldn’t quite shake off.

*******

Later, Rei sat in a quaint room overlooking the castle gardens. Propping the cushions behind him, he leaned against the window until his brother came and sat next to him, ruffling his hair.

“How’s it been?”

“Unexpected,” Rei turned to Raiden. “Nothing that I’d prepared myself for.”

"But you’re like this, anyway,” Raiden pointed his chin at Rei’s stomach. “I’m coming by to spoil the brat rotten for sure."

“No way,” Rei wrinkled his nose in distaste. “If the child turns out like you, what a disaster it will be!”

Raiden locked his arm around Rei’s neck, pulling him close and they engaged in a small scuffle, bursting into huffs of laughter.

“I missed you, little brother,” Raiden murmured into his hair, when they let go of each other.

Before Rei could reply, the door slammed open and Rin wobbled in backwards like a duck, knocking into the table behind him and yelping in pain. Sousuke gave a merciless laugh and settled in a corner. Rin shot glares at his best friend and took a seat next to Rei, in a spectacularly foul mood.

They heard footsteps in the distance, and Rei set about to rearranging Rin’s face. He smoothed down the furrowed eyebrows and tugged his down-turned lips up a little, patting his cheeks for the finishing touch. Sousuke covered up a snort of amusement just as Rin’s mother, Queen Karen stepped in, King Isamu and Queen Akemi in tow.

They exchanged pleasantries before the topic turned to what Rei had been dreading all night. As Rin shared the details of the emergency meeting, they all nodded. Sousuke must have suspected as much because his eyes reflected no surprise when Rei pulled the bracelet off his wrist and revealed the mark.

“My wife and I have discussed the matter and we have one proposal,” Rei’s father spoke. “Rei returns to our kingdom with us, and we’ll watch over him until the child is born, and the turbulence has passed. We don’t want to take any chances with his life, or the child’s.”

Rin stared at Rei’s parents, ashen. He looked down and pressed his hands together. It was a reasonable request, given the danger Rei had encountered. Staying in the Faerie kingdom, amongst those who had taken care of him since young might be a better alternative. Rin was at a loss for words when a hand slipped into his. Rei grasped his husband's hand, as his gaze swept over everyone in the room.

“Thank you, Mother, Father. I know you wish for my safety, and that you only want to make sure I don’t come to any harm. I, however, married Rin knowing we would have to face difficulties together. It would not be fair to leave him to combat everything by himself, and I will miss him dearly if I were to leave. I want to be here when I have my child, and I trust in him and-" Rei paused, Nagisa and Sera flitting through his mind, “-his people. It’s a risk I’m willing to take. I will stay here.”

The Queen of the Ryuugazaki Kingdom gave Rei a warm smile, pride glittering in her fuchsia orbs. “You’ve grown, Rei.”

“We will do our best to handle the situation here,” Karen assured the couple. “And we’ll help Rei every step of the way in his pregnancy. It’s not easy being under so much stress during a time like this, but we’ll ensure his comfort.”

“Thank you,” the Faerie Queen grasped Karen’s hands. “We were worried how he’d be, getting married, when he was always more interested in entertaining alchemy and deemed romance a fool’s quest.”

Rei gaped in disbelief. “What?”

“Indeed, I worried about how Rei would fare what with Rin’s tendency to melancholy and the occasional temper.”

It was Rin’s turn to look at his mother, scandalised. Sousuke couldn’t hold back the laughter, his shoulders shaking.

“Well, it worked out,” King Isamu smiled. “Much like the moon and the sun, each irreplaceable to the other, yet not at all the same.”

The long day ended with Rin begging his mother to _ stop telling them about  _ the time he had fallen into a pit because he had been trying to rescue an unimpressed beetle, or the time he had fallen off a tree while playing knight to Haruka’s unwilling princess. Rei and Raiden were evidently tickled by his childhood antics and wheezed for breath while Sousuke lost it and had to stand at the window to calm himself down. Rin grumbled to himself and sulked.

They retreated to their rooms late that night, and Rin and Rei collapsed on the duvet in an exhausted heap.

“Before you ask, no,” Rin growled, covering Rei up with the quilt. “I will not tell you any more of my embarrassing childhood stories. Sleep.”

“Fine,” Rei relented, half-pouting. He patted the empty half of the bed and Rin slipped under the covers, gathering Rei in his arms and burying his face in the junction of Rei’s neck and his shoulder.

“Today was exhausting. But I’m relieved your parents trust me enough to leave you with me.”

“I’m grown-up. So are you. We have to learn to handle the problems together. It’s for the sake of both our kingdoms anyways. Your boundaries are mine- and mine, yours.”

“Gee, way to ruin the touching moment.”

“I wasn’t ruining it,” Rei huffed. He ran his hands through Rin’s silky vermilion hair. “Rin, everyone.. we can trust everyone, right?”

“What’s wrong?” Rin tilted his head up, frowning. “Did anything happen?”

“Nothing happened,” Rei trailed off, biting his lip.

“But?”

“I was just wondering. I think I’m just being overly cautious.”

“It doesn’t hurt to be too careful,” Rin thumbed his cheek. “Take care when I’m not around. I know you’ve been training with Sera and Haruka.”

“And you never fail to interrupt my time in the library,” Rei added.

“There’s a limit to my patience!” Rin exclaimed, looking vexed beyond explanation. “It’s rather adorable to see you curled up on the armchairs, devouring everything we have. But after a few hours, anyone would get worked up.”

“Okay, you do have a point,” Rei agreed.

“A very sharp one,” Rin bit Rei’s cheek in mock anger.

Rei yelped in shock and pushed him away, barring his advances with a bolster. “If you come any closer, I’ll make you regret.” Rin reached over and Rei lifted up the pillows lying on the bed. He aimed them at Rin who stared in disbelief.

“Some loving husband you are.”

He was smothered by the sea of pillows raining on him, and Rei occasionally caught a sight of flailing limbs. Rin vanquished the pillow army and leapt over the barrier. He tackled Rei and pulling him in close amidst soft indignant yelps, before they nodded off to sleep.

*******

Rei was walking in darkness again, but he was following a river of light this time. There was something -or someone- leading the way, and it wasn’t until later he realised it was the figure of a child. No matter how much he sped up, he could never close up their distance. As they walked further, the child began to fade into the darkness, and a whirlwind of butterflies surrounded the child, swallowing him up. The pain in his arm was pure agony, sporadic stabs of pain reverberating in his body, yet his legs kept moving. Something compelled him to look down, and he realised with deepening horror that there was no longer a bulge at his stomach.

The shock woke him up, and he must have been screaming because Rin was rubbing circles on his back, soothing him and holding him tight. A shuddering sob tore through him, and he tried to explain, frantic, to confirm that their child was okay. Rin held his hands and pressed them against his own stomach.

“We’re all good, Rei.” Rin pressed a kiss to his temple. He rolled over to pick up a cloth from the dresser and press it to Rei’s damp forehead. Rei hugged the pillow tighter.

“I wonder why I keep having dreams like this.”

“It might be a warning to anticipate danger. But there's nothing to worry about, alright? Go to sleep now.”

Rei gave a shuddering breath and rested against Rin’s chest as he ran his hands through Rei’s hair in a comforting, repetitive gesture. It lulled him into a restless sleep. The nightmares didn’t come again that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been two long weeks since i last updated and i'm so sorry about that!!  
> the first weekend, i was swamped with schoolwork and then last weekend, i caught an awful cold and just lay writhing in bed with a fever. i'm feeling much better now so i decided to get this out before i drown in work again this weekend orz 
> 
> so yes, this was just a lot of fluffy family time ;;  
> (rip takuya bless your poor soul)   
> and finally at the halfway mark of the story.  
> after this chapter, we're climbing that peak to the climax and stuff like that, so hold on tight!  
> (at least, it was exciting in my head so i pray you guys are curious about what's coming) 
> 
> and of course, thank you as always for all your kind comments and kudos! i have much to improve on as a writer, but it makes me glad to know that there's so many of you who genuinely like what i do ;; 
> 
> (again, i noticed even more mistakes in previous chapter but i'll have to find some time to edit everything orz)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **[Glossary]**   
>  _**MysDun (Mystic Dungeon)** \- A training room for Spellbinders _   
>  _**Undine** \- Water-type Faerie _   
>  _**Gnome** \- Earth-type Faerie _   
>  _**Sylph** \- Air-type Faerie _   
>  _**Salamander** \- Fire-type Faerie _

A few days later, the Ryuugazaki family returned to their kingdom. Queen Karen and Gou stayed true to their word and spent most of their time with Rei. Occasionally, the King Consort was left to his own devices and Nagisa and Sera accompanied him.

Rei hated how it felt, anxiety tugging deep in his heart as Nagisa chattered on about the day. Sera was on his other side, shaking his head at Nagisa’s silliness.

Was it all an act?

“Rei? Are you okay? You’ve been zoning out,” Nagisa frowned. “And you have terrible eyebags.”

‘I couldn’t sleep well last night,” Rei explained, swirling the potion. There was a small ‘pop’ and a cloud of pink smoke billowed out. He coughed and held the potion away, pinching his nose.

_ “Foul.  _ I thought I got it right.”

“Maybe you added too much powder,” Nagisa pointed out. He reached over to help Rei empty the stained glass and wash it in the basin splattered with a swirl of colours that had a dizzying effect - a result of the emptied potions.

Rei gave a groan of frustration and plopped onto the nearby seat, one hand on his stomach.

“I’ve changed the instructions and, it should have worked.”

“It’s better if you take a break now,” Nagisa walked over to him with a cup of water in his hands, and a bowl of fruit in the other. “The cooks wanted me to give this to you. It’s no good if you continue to eat so little.”

Sera nodded in agreement, helping to clear the potions and spillages. “And you can talk to us about anything that that’s worrying you, you know?”

Rei watched the pair and pushed down the burning itch to ask them about what he had overheard. The half-Faerie began talking instead, about the fascinating scrolls he had found in the library. There had been a peace treaty soon after the Battle of Mutare but it was shelved within five years. Attempts to form alliances and trade agreements fell through and the kingdoms had maintained a wary distance, never sticking their neck in too far but acutely aware of the other kingdoms all the same.

“My grandpa fought in the war,” Nagisa said, his voice soft. “I found his accounts of the battle in his diaries. The pages are yellowed and some, torn. Some days, there’s drops of blood at the corner and others, the times he allowed himself some weakness and cried about the lives lost. He passed away having visions about those days and he’d grab my mother, calling for my grandmother.”

“My grandparents as well,” Sera shared. “They were both commanders in Juunin’s army.”

“Juunin, huh,” Nagisa rested his chin on his palm. “I wonder what kind of being he was. My grandpa mentioned him sometimes. He was a leader whom everyone looked up to, regardless of whether they were Faerie or not. He vanquished the tactical mastermind of the Shigino, after all.”

“It was an unnecessary battle,” Sera sat up. “Lives lost - innocent lives - and I won’t lie. When I heard about the battle as a young child, I always wondered how humans could be so hateful. We had done nothing, yet…” The Gnome’s expression was glazed over, as if he were years in the past, a distance that Rei wouldn’t be able to close just by reaching over to touch him.

“I wouldn’t say Faeries were all innocent, back then,” Rei began.

The pair turned to look at him.

“There were many human young who vanished because Faeries had taken them and replaced those children with their own young. Changelings, they called them. Those children were never seen again. Back then, there were a lot of things humans didn’t understand about Faeries, especially their strange magic and how far they could go with harming them. Perhaps, the attack that the Shigino are so hated for would have come to pass regardless, when all the distrust and fear spilled over into anger and hatred.”

“There are other ways than violence,” Nagisa clenched his teeth. “And I hate that we must always live in doubt because of the past.”

Rei had no words of solace to offer, and from the looks of it, neither did Sera. He reached over to squeeze the younger man’s shoulder instead, and they sat in an almost dazed silence for a while. Armour clinked outside and two knights stepped in, bowing in Rei’s direction.

“Apologies for the disturbance, King Rei. His Majesty has requested your presence.” The one who had reported glanced over at Nagisa and Sera. “Alone.”

Rei’s eyebrow quirked up at the latter half of the request, but he nodded and stood.

“I’ll be back soon. If you two don’t mind, help me figure out what I’ve been doing wrong.”

Sera and Nagisa gave him mock salutes and he couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him. For an instant, it felt like they were back to normal.

One of the knights cleared his throat and Rei followed them out, wondering why Rin wanted to see him. When he walked into the study, his husband was staring at a document with a grimace, his hands buried in his hair. Sousuke was looking over his shoulder in apparent apprehensiveness.

“Rin?” Rei ventured. “You called for me?”

The King looked up, his expression grave. “Rei, come here and take a look at this letter.”

Sousuke moved aside, gesturing to the spot beside Rin. Rei walked over and glanced at Rin before picking up the paper, hesitant. It wasn’t _ just _ a document ; it was a letter. A letter from the Shigino Kingdom.

He skimmed through the letter and put it down on the table, certain his voice had gone a notch higher when he asked Rin, “So what are we going to do?”

“Rationally speaking, if we want to maintain, well,” Rin grimaced, “friendly ties, we will have to accept the invitation. But if it means that our safety is compromised, I’d rather not.”

“This Prince Kisumi,” Rei sat at the seat next to Rin’s, his hand resting on his abdomen, “is he as friendly as he seems in the letter?”

“Well,” Rin knitted his eyebrows together, “he  _ is _ . Although he gets a little over-the-top sometimes.”

“He’s a good guy at heart, at least from when we played as children,” Sousuke agreed. “And he loves his little brother.”

“But things change,” Rin rested his chin on his interlaced hands. “And trusting too much can get us in trouble.”

“Well,” Rei pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Why not find out for ourselves?”

“You want to accept the invitation?” Sousuke queried, his eyes narrowing. “It’s dangerous, Rei.”

“And you’re with child,” Rin murmured, his gaze flitting to Rei’s stomach. “It’s not safe.”

“Well, it’s a formality of sorts before they visit for the Winter Ball, isn’t it?” Rei twisted the bracelet around his wrist. "They’ve asked us over for just a day. Prince Kisumi only wishes to make amends for the past. If this were all true, we can build on from there.”

Rin glared at the paper as if that would be enough to scorch a hole in it. Rei could see a vein throbbing on his forehead.

“Come on, Rin, let’s give diplomacy a try,” Rei grasped his husband’s shoulder.

“Fine,” the redhead relented, leaning against the armchair with a deep sigh. “But we’re going to have a fair number of knights escorting us. At the very least, the Shigino won’t take offence at that, given our history.”

“Then,” Rei stood up, “I’ll go tell Sera and Nagisa.”

Rin tapped his finger on the table. “All right, I’ll inform Makoto and Seijuurou.” He looked to Sousuke sitting at the side, quiet. “I know I should send you back to Yamazaki as soon as possible but…”

“It’s fine, I can watch over the castle while you’re gone,” Sousuke shook his head. “My old man is going strong so everything’s good over at home.”

“Thanks, Sousuke,” Rin gave his best friend a grateful smile. “I owe you a lot.”

“We’re friends,” Sousuke scoffed, as if the idea of debt was incredulous. “You owe me nothing.”

Rei smiled fondly at them and hurried back to the room they had designated to be the Alchemy room. When he entered, Nagisa and Sera were discussing something, and they looked startled when he slipped in. They avoided his eyes for a good few seconds until he cleared his throat to grab their attention. The sliver of doubt lodged in his heart stung and he willed the thoughts away. A cold chill grasped him - was it a good idea to take them along to the Shigino kingdom? Anything could happen on the way.

He took a deep breath and cleared his mind. It was unlike him to be so filled with uncertainty and doubt.

“We received an invitation from Prince Kisumi,” Rei looked at each of them. “And we  decided to accept.”

*******

Prince Kisumi had invited them over on a Saturday. By the time the sun rose in the horizon, the coaches were ready. There were light bags for the journey and some food to keep them warm and full in the biting cold. Rei was bundled up in various layers despite his protests, but he gave in when he was reminded that he was caring not just for himself anymore, but for the child he was carrying as well. As he and Rin prepared to leave the bedchamber, one chambermaid rushed in, her face reddened from exertion.

“Your Majesty! There’s a bunch of farmers clamouring outside!”

“What?” Rin snapped. “What’s it about?”

“Something about the harvest,” Sousuke peered in, his eyebrows scrunched together. “And it’s pretty bad. I don’t think they’ll let you leave. Sera’s trying to handle it but, they’re just throwing tomatoes at him.”

Rin groaned. “If that’s the case, then we’re not going to make it on time. And  _ then _ the Shigino will take offence.”

Rei gasped, his eyes widening in some form of enlightenment. Rin frowned at him. “I don’t like it, whatever you’re thinking of.”

“Listen,” Rei cajoled him, tugging at Rin’s arm. “I can go and you stay here and help the people. I’m your consort after all. I don’t think there’ll be any protests. You can keep Sera with you since it seems like you need his help. I’ll still have the knights and Nagisa with me.”

“Do you understand what you’re saying?” Rin growled, pulling Rei’s hand off him. “Sending you alone is not an option!”

“Stop treating me like I’m fragile!” Rei retorted, his cheeks taking on angry red. “I’ll go ahead, and you join me if you can! If not, you can await my return!”

With that, he stormed past Rin and grabbed a hold of Nagisa who had come to stand at the door, his jaw slack. Sousuke whistled, watching Rei march down the hall.

In the room, Rin bristled and stalked out, his lips set in a thin, hard line.

*******

“Rei, c’mon, you should eat something. You’ve been getting so thin.”

The blue-haired man turned away from the window overlooking a blanket of snow obscuring the view. “It’s alright. I do not wish to bother the coach considering I feel the urge to throw up everything I eat.”

“Are you still angry with Rin?” Nagisa asked after a moment’s pause. They had all been skirting around the subject for a few hours already. He could see Haruka sitting on his horse, a distance ahead. Occasionally, he looked back at the carriage Rei was on.

“Yes,” Rei turned to Nagisa, miffed. “This child is ours,” he placed his hands on the small round of his stomach. “I will do my utmost to protect her as well. I wish he would stop being so overprotective. It makes me feel weak and stifled.”

“You should talk to him about it,” Nagisa fixed his gaze on Rei. “I guess he doesn’t know how to act either. He’s just worried for your safety.”

“I  _ know _ ,” Rei sighed. “But it’s just… it vexes me so much! And I don’t quite understand why.”

“Well, it’s hard on you,” Nagisa squeezed his forearm. “When the maids talk about their children, they always complain about their overprotective husbands. When you think about it, Rin’s new to this too. The next time, he’ll be better about it.” There was a hint of a laugh as the blond uttered the latter half.

“T-The next time!” Rei’s spluttered, his cheeks tinged an obvious pink, even in the dark of the carriage. “It’s far too early to make such presumptuous statements, don’t you think?” he all but squeaked.

Nagisa snorted. "Yeah, we’ll see."

They heard a soft chuckle and Rei backed away from the window with a gasp of horror, and Nagisa peered past him to see Haruka at the window, eyes twinkling with mirth.

“Haruka!” Rei groaned, shifting his glasses up. “Please don’t startle me like that!”

The man said not a word as he spurred his horse forward, the faint hint of a smile on his lips.

As the carriages rattled on, and Rei jerked at every uncomfortable bump, the rhythm sent him into a dreamless sleep. They reached Shigino in the early afternoon, when the winter sun was covered by dark, voluminous clouds and the snow whirled around them and chipped away at what little warmth they had.

Nagisa prodded Rei awake, and he jerked awake, his heart pounding. “We’re here,” Nagisa whispered, and they clambered out of the carriage, the footman helping Rei down and asking him to mind his head. Their entourage comprised of knights and some of the Spellbinders, taking up the front and Rei stood in the middle, trying to stand steady as the cold seeped in through the clothing and nausea bubbled up.

The Shigino castle was, in one word, gargantuan. The Samezuka and Ryuugazaki castles were massive in their own rights, and boasted lush gardens and vast ponds. But the Shigino castle, was, perhaps against the forbidding backdrop of a withering forest and the snowstorms raging around them, impressive. The knights stood guard at the entrance as the sturdy wooden doors opened, and a group of Royals Rei did not recognise stepped out.

He knew, immediately who Prince Kisumi was. The Crown Prince wore a huge grin on his face, and his pale, pink hair was a stark contrast to the white background. His golden crown glinted. Behind him, Rei took notice of a mousy-faced man and a tall, beguiling woman with skin as pale as the snow.

“Welcome!” Prince Kisumi bowed, and Rei returned the greeting, noticing how Kisumi’s eyes were roving around as if he were looking for someone else.

“I regret that my husband could not come today, due to unforeseen circumstances,” Rei answered the question hanging in the air. “However, I, as the King Consort, will accept the invitation on behalf of my husband.”

“Oh!” Kisumi blinked, his purple eyes catching Rei’s own. “Well, don’t worry about it! I can catch up with Rin another time. I’m Kisumi, Crown Prince to the Shigino Kingdom. It is a pleasure to receive the King Consort of Samezuka. I’ve heard much about you in Rin’s letters. Please, come in. The cold must have chilled all of you to the bone.”

Rei nodded and he followed Kisumi in, not missing how the woman’s eyes were fixed on his stomach for the smallest fraction of a second. Haruka was milling about at the back, and Kisumi glanced at him, eyes widening ever so slightly before he turned around and led them in. Rei and the entire entourage rid themselves of the winter clothing in the Great Hall, where a great fire was flickering. The warmth was welcome, after the freezing cold. Rei sneezed and a violent shudder ran through him. Nagisa pulled his coat tighter around him and gave him a pat on the back.

“Are you feeling okay?”

Rei nodded as the shivers subsided. “I’m fine. Just a little queasy.”

Kisumi was hanging around them, and Rei could see questions just brimming in him.

When Haruka walked in and shook his robe, Kisumi bounded up to him, throwing royal graces to the wind.

“Haruka!” he embraced the Spellbinder, and Rei found it almost comical how Haruka froze, unblinking. “How are you? It’s been so long!”

“I’m fine,” Haruka said, his tone clipped, as he pushed the boy away.

“Oh man, you’re as cold as always,” Kisumi pouted. Rei blinked. It was hard to imagine that he was the same age as Rin.

“Oh! Where’s Hayato?” Nagisa quipped, his eyebrows raised in question.

It was so brief Rei wondered if he had imagined the way Kisumi’s smile dropped. When he blinked, Kisumi was beaming again.

“You know he’s shy. He ran off and hid somewhere. I’ll see if I can coax him out before you leave.”

“Kisumi.”

Rei watched as the lady from earlier glided in, her exquisite features even more defined in the light of the Great Hall. Her mahogany curls cascaded down her back. He didn’t fail to take notice of how the knights stopped to gaze at her. The man behind her was less impressive. His eyes darted around and he was hunching like he was uncomfortable. When his eyes met Rei’s, Rei held the gaze but there was something about the man that unsettled him to the core. He kept his hands on his stomach and the man eventually turned away, unable to maintain the locked gaze.

“This is my aunt, Duchess Miwa,” Kisumi gestured to the woman, “and my uncle, Duke Eiji. I couldn’t introduce them earlier.”

Miwa gave them a sweet smile and nodded while her husband gave them a glance that was just a little short of condescending. Nagisa made a face and Rei couldn’t but help return it.

“Now, I’m sure all of you must be starving. We have a grand feast waiting for you in the Dining Hall. Follow me,” Kisumi lead them out to a room filled with steaming dishes. The aromas had Rei’s stomach growling, despite the residual nausea.

“Looks good,” Nagisa gave the dishes an appreciative look as they took their seats. An hour or two later, the knights were off in a blissful paradise of their own. Rei was certain they were content to fall asleep right where they were. The Spellbinders were more discreet about it, sitting upright while their eyes fluttered close. Kisumi laughed and asked them if they wanted to rest longer but Rei and Nagisa shook their heads. Haruka and Seijuurou both stood, leaving the others in the Dining Hall.

“Leave them to rest,” Seijuurou pointed his thumb at the others. “We’ll follow Nagisa and His Majesty.”

Kisumi nodded and with the Duke and Duchess in tow, they followed.

“I just wanted to show all of you around. And,” Kisumi looked at them. “There’s no denying the strain of our relationship. If anything, I want to assure you that we want to maintain friendly ties despite everything that’s happened in the past.”

Rei watched the boy and nodded. “As do we. I’m glad you have taken this course of action.”

Kisumi nodded, a smile blooming on his face and Rei found it more and more difficult to believe the Shigino had an agenda to harm them. They spent a few hours exploring the winding hallways and staircases of the castle. It was even bigger inside than it appeared from the exterior.

Rei excused himself briefly to go to the washroom, refusing Nagisa’s request to follow him. When he had freshened up and pulled down the upturned collar of his vest, he walked out, following the hallway he had taken but-

When he looked up, the doors seemed to shake and expand a little. The hallway he had been sure of was on the right was now on the left. Swallowing down the panic, he walked in that direction, noticing the same staircase he had taken. Something about the area was off. He couldn’t put a finger on it, but there was a faint whiff of magic. As he grabbed the railing, ready to descend, he heard a soft whimper echo down the hall. He turned around, blood running cold. His wrist began to tingle and burn. Rei took a step back as the sound travelled down the hallway again. _ It’s not just my imagination… _

“Your Majesty.”

Rei jerked in shock, turning around to see Duchess Miwa at the top of the staircase. “Is everything alright?”

He gathered his bearings and nodded, following her down. “Sorry for the bother. I think I got myself lost somehow. Even though I told Nagisa I’ll be fine.” He forced a dry laugh and Miwa turned to look at him, rosy red lips curving into a smile that did not reach her eyes.

“Rei!” Nagisa jumped up, when Miwa led him to where the group was waiting. “What took you so long? Did you get lost?”

“What?” Rei sniffed. “There’s no way I’d get lost.”

Nagisa looked unconvinced, but he let the matter drop. Rei made no mention of the sound he had heard. He couldn’t wait to leave and return to the warmth of the Samezuka castle. Nagisa’s fingers brushed against his chilled ones, and he could tell the boy was trying to comfort him. How could someone so genuine and feeling be devising anything against him? Rei supposed he’d ask Nagisa and Sera about it, instead of letting the distrust fester within him.

Behind them, Haruka and Seijuurou were looking around, eyes widening at the grandeur of the castle. Every now and then, they’d see a portrait of previous rulers of Shigino. The cruel and hardened lines on their faces reflected the battles and trials the Shigino had continued to instigate after the Battle of Mutare.

Rei could breathe more easily when the tour finished, and they returned to the Dining Hall. The Knights were already awake and had broken out into boisterous conversation. The Spellbinders were in an apparent argument with them and they looked relieved when Haruka strode past them to talk to the Knights. Seijuurou growled. Rei followed his line of sight, only to hold back his laughter as Momotarou continued to crawl about, a net in his hands and a determined gleam in his eyes. When he looked up and realised his brother was there, the young Knight paled and stood at attention, one hand sneaking behind his back.

“Thank you so much for coming,” Kisumi grasped Rei’s hands, a radiant smile on his face. “It’s late, so you’re more than welcome to stay the night, if you wish.”

Rei shook his head, shaking Kisumi’s hands. “It was a wonderful tour. We will visit, and with Rin the next time. I appreciate your hospitality.”

“Thank you for giving us a chance,” Duchess Miwa stepped forward, bowing. “We look forward to the Winter Ball.”

“Ah, yes, we’ll  be awaiting your visit,” Rei smiled. “We shall be off, then.”

As they exchanged farewells, the knights and Spellbinders bustled about, preparing to leave. Nagisa made sure Rei was warm enough and they boarded the carriage, waving to the Shigino family standing at the entrance to the castle. Thanks to the Spellbinders, the path was always illuminated and the biting cold was kept at bay with a small boundary set around all of them. The steady clack-clack of the carriage and low murmurs outside, Rei was lulled to sleep, and he registered a faint ‘thump’ as Nagisa’s head dropped onto his shoulder and lolled forward at every bump.

*******

When Rei woke up, he was reacquainted with the weight on his shoulder. He looked down at Nagisa’s golden curls and his lips curled into a small smile. The boy looked vulnerable and young, the faint light of the moon falling on his delicate features.

He looked out, frowning when he realised that he could not feel the carriage moving. He pushed the curtains to the side and peered out. It was pitch black. There was a soft whirr and a small flame flickered before his eyes. The Spellbinder’s face was lightly illuminated, and Rei could make out the tenseness in his jaw.

“Your Majesty, please stay in the carriage. It’s not safe.”

The instruction was so soft Rei strained to hear it. “Shouta? What’s going on?”

A pause. Absolute silence. Then.

“We’re in the Knowling Forest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _ohhh H mmoN diEU_ orz  
>  why am i always doing this rei what did this poor fairy boy ever do ugly sobbing ;;  
> sorry for taking so long to update!! school took over, as usual, and then i had exams and there's more exams coming up so you won't hear from me for at least more two weeks :"))  
> thank you so much for all your comments <33 i refresh my email obsessively and when there's a new email i just die a little inside rip me  
> i'm sure all of you who write understand my sentiments.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **[Glossary]**   
>  _**MysDun (Mystic Dungeon)** \- A training room for Spellbinders _   
>  _**Undine** \- Water-type Faerie _   
>  _**Gnome** \- Earth-type Faerie _   
>  _**Sylph** \- Air-type Faerie _   
>  _**Salamander** \- Fire-type Faerie _

_“Your Majesty, please stay in the carriage. It’s not safe.”_

_The instruction was so soft Rei strained to hear it. “Shouta? What’s going on?”_

_A pause. Absolute silence. Then._

_“We’re in the Knowling Forest.”_

*******

A sharp intake of breath. “How…?”

“We don’t know, Your Majesty. We were taking the correct path but.. it felt like we were going in circles.” Shouta leaned closer, eyes flitting left and right, before he whispered, even more softly than before, "It feels like there's an outsider’s magic interfering with the path. I’m afraid we’ll have to stay here until morning comes.”

Rei leaned against the carriage seat, trying to stop the fear from washing over him. He gently pushed Nagisa’s head away from his shoulder after a moment, fishing around for his pouch. He found it on the carriage floor and picked it up, pulling out the vials. He had brought as many as he could have this time. He elevated it and sent it out of the carriage into the Spellbinder’s arms.

“Make sure everyone has one of these,” he inclined his head. “If anything happens, they just have to throw this.”

“Rei…?”

Beside him, Nagisa was stirring awake, rubbing his eyes. He sat up, looking dazed. “Are we home?”

Rei shook his head, pressing a finger to his lips. “We’re in the Knowling Forest. It’s better to just stay still.”

Shouta extinguished the light and melted into the darkness, and Rei could faintly make out the shapes of the others. He made a move to stand and hesitated, thoughts of endangering the child tumbling through his mind, but he took a deep breath and pushed the door open anyway. Nagisa grasped his arm but he shook his head, asking the boy to stay in.

“I’m going to help them keep up the defence. It’ll be quick. It’s difficult to make sure it’s strong for so long.”

Nagisa gave him a reluctant nod and released his hand. Rei stood outside the carriage until he got accustomed to the darkness. He could see someone holding up a barrier a distance away. He walked up to him and realised it was Haruka. He was the only Undine in their company, and his part of the barrier shimmered like water drops reflecting light.

“Haruka,” he whispered.

The Spellbinder turned to him, and Rei could imagine the disapproval on his face, even without being able to see him clearly.

“I can help. I have some powder that will strengthen the barrier.”

Haruka yielded and nodded to the Spellbinder on his right. Instantly, the area was illuminated by small flames. Shouta must have set them, Rei noted, given the intricate pattern of the lights. The Knights were all standing guard behind the barrier. Some of them turned to look at Rei, squinting. Seijuurou nodded to him, as if to reassure him that everything was okay. Rei acknowledged him, thankful for the trustworthy men Rin had employed over the years.

“We can’t afford to be visible for long,” Haruka said, and Rei nodded. Swallowing, he took a cautious step out of the barrier. Two of the knights followed him, facing outwards to watch out for any incoming danger. The barrier seemed to flutter for a second, before returning to normal. Rei stepped entirely out of the barrier, and the environment was a stark difference to the one within the barrier. The snow bellowed about him, chilling him to the bone. Keeping an eye on the barrier, he made a quick round, sprinkling the powder in a circle, making sure there were no gaps in between. It would all be in vain if there was even a single fault. He closed his eyes and envisioned raising the barrier. With only half Faerie blood, it wasn’t going to be an easy task.

He willed all the magic within him to flow to his fingertips and he transferred the thrumming energy to the powder which crackled to life with a hiss. The barrier of wind grew, like scales overlapping each other. Rei couldn’t have been more thankful for investing his time in alchemy. He stepped back to take a look at the barrier and nodded to the knights. They hurried in through the double barrier. Rei crouched, feeling lightheaded, and the movement triggered a fresh wave of nausea.

The knights escorted him back to the carriage as Haruka murmured “Thank you, Rei.” The lights went out and they were in pitch darkness again. Nagisa pressed against Rei, his fingers cold to the touch.

When dawn touched the forest, the more inexperienced amongst them had fallen asleep. It was Seijuurou who tapped them awake and they were all up within seconds. Rei looked outside, nursing the splitting headache that both exhausted and irritated him.

The Spellbinders were buckling over in fatigue, their eyes ringed with dark circles. The barrier was still strong, and Rei’s alchemy barrier was holding up outside.

“Start moving,” Haruka commanded, “The barriers will shift along with us.”

The carriage groaned to a start, and the horses whinnied softly. Rei was half-tempted to go outside and calm them down but he stayed where he was, offering a silent prayer to get home without any trouble.

(It was too much to ask for.)

They were moving through the forest, avoiding making too much noise when Rei heard a distant howl. The sound was echoed from various parts of the forest and Nagisa clutched Rei’s hand, ashen.

“Hurry!” Haruka shouted, and the carriage lurched forward. It rattled as they rushed along and Rei held on tightly to avoid being thrown forward.

“Rei, do they have any weak spots?” Nagisa asked, his voice flat. He was trying to rein in his fear.

Rei swallowed. “Not any I know of, but my potions worked on it the last time. When I was here with Rin. You’ll have to see if they have any blind side.” His last words were cut off when the carriage jerked to a stop and they knocked their heads from the impact.

There was another howl, closer this time, and it sent Rei’s skin crawling. It wasn’t the same as the creature that he had encountered with Rin. It sounded like the wail of a tortured animal as it was hacked to death. His head ached but Rei grabbed Nagisa’s hand and pulled him out of the carriage. They stumbled out, hearts thudding.

The Knights were standing as close as they could to the barrier, and their swords were all drawn. The Spellbinders stood in the inner circle, around the carriage, ready to attack. Rei could make out faint figures in the forest around them, but they seemed to morph and twist until he couldn’t decipher if they were part of the foliage. A dull pain shot through his wrist and he placed a hand over his stomach, subconsciously.

And then there was a loud screech, followed by incessant yowling.

Continuous thuds and ear-splitting cries rang as the beasts began to throw themselves against the barriers. Rei whirled around, heart in his mouth. The creature's eyes were set deep in its skull, jaws sharp and prominent in the mouth so wide it seemed the face would split in half. The one next to it snarled at them, one eye missing and the fur mangled, leaving patches of open, bleeding skin. Rei bent over, one hand clasped over his mouth. Nagisa supported him, his own palms clammy.

“Rei, stay within the circle,” Haruka enjoined, and it was only the slight quaver in his voice that gave away whatever fear he was feeling.

He turned to the others and raised his voice above the frantic howling. “These creatures show no mercy. Magic runs deep in their veins, and they’re more intelligent than you’d suspect. Watch one another’s backs. If they break through the barrier, defend and attack! Move towards the exit if you can, but make sure there’s someone around Rei at all times!”

They nodded, and Rei could see some of them shuddering.

There were more dull thuds as the creatures pounded against the barriers, snapping their jaws against it and Rei saw a crack beginning to form. One of the Spellbinders collapsed and Haruka raised his free hand, holding up her portion of the barrier before it crashed. Beads of sweat rolled down his face and collected at his chin. A vein pulsed in his neck from the exertion. Rei, meanwhile, pulled the younger Faerie up, Nagisa helping him on the other side. Her breathing was shallow and her eyes were rolling to the back of her head.

Magic exhaustion.

It was common amongst younger Faeries when they used too much of their magic.

“Nagisa, watch her. I’ll help them in case the barriers fail.”

The blond nodded, trying to bring the girl back to consciousness.

Rei strengthened his own barrier, feeling his body groaning in protest. If he used too much magic, he too would succumb. He heard a piercing shriek at the exact moment his barrier broke and it felt like being drenched by a layer of ice-cold water. The powder had been thrown to the side, causing a crack. Some of the Spellbinders struggled to stay upright, as the knights took a defensive position. The creatures were becoming stronger, knocking against the shimmering barrier the Spellbinders were struggling to keep up. Outside, the wind howled and snow covered forest, making everything within reach barely visible.

_Barely visible…?_

Rei gasped in realisation. “Haruka! We can make it out of here! We just have to take cover in the snow and make sure they lose our scent! Kazuki and I can try to make a wall of snow, and give us a few minutes of cover.”

Haruka nodded, and Rei noticed how his lips were far too blue.

“Everyone!” Rei announced, catching his own breath, “We’re going to move with the barrier. Kazuki and I will cover us with snow. Move as fast as you can, and don’t break the formation.”

He and Kazuki exchanged glances and nodded to each other. The Sylph broke away from the circle of Spellbinders and joined Rei near the barrier. They held hands, the magic thrumming through the two of them, and they sent a blast of air towards the snow swirling outside. The barrier was beginning to wear down, and the creatures were getting more frantic. Pushing the pain to the back of his mind, Rei grasped control of the swirling snow with Kazuki and they pulled at it until a blanket of snow broke past the creatures and they were thrown back, howling and screaming into the air. It encircled the barrier like a small globe of snow.

“Now!” Haruka shouted, and they all began to run, one of the Gnome Spellbinders leading them through the unclear terrain, eyes closed in concentration as she kept in touch with the winding forest paths. They could hear the creatures hot in pursuit. Nagisa was assisted by Momotarou and they dragged the female Spellbinder, her feet leaving a trail in the snow.

“Almost there!” Rei cried, his throat hoarse as Kazuki practically dragged him along with a tight grip on his arm.

They wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer. The Spellbinders were all on their last legs, gasping with exertion. The knights maintained formation, keeping them in the middle. The barrier disintegrated when they were almost at the exit, and the layer of snow keeping them hidden flew out of control. Rei collapsed on his knees and Kazuki shouted in alarm, trying to drag him up to his feet. There was a blur of movement and the Sylph was torn away from Rei with a pained cry.

“Kazuki!” Rei shouted, pawing the snow blindly. “Kazuki!”

Ahead, he could hear the panicked shouts and the clang of metal.  He heard Kazuki cry out again, and he wasn’t far. There was a low growl. Rei held on to the vial tightly as his stomach began to contract painfully. When the wind blew the snow in the other direction, he caught sight of a patch of red, striking against the white ground. Kazuki was a distance away, pinned under the monstrous creature. It was snapping its teeth, aiming for his neck. Kazuki was struggling, trying to push the creature off with blasts of air but his magic was too weakened. Rei realised with growing horror that his left arm lay uselessly at his side, bleeding and torn.

“No!” Rei cried, pulling out the small dagger in his pouch. “Get away from him!”

The creature turned, its single eye gleaming wickedly. It turned back to Kazuki with a loud howl and Rei ran to the creature, burying his dagger in its mauled hide. Before it could whip around and hit him, he broke the vial against the fur, the potion burning his fingers but seeping into the creature’s body at the same time. It bellowed in pain and sank its teeth into Rei’s shoulder. He screamed as the fangs broke through flesh, burning like a thousand flames scorching his skin and reaching his nerves. His vision blurred and all he could hear was his own heavy breathing.

“Rei!” Kazuki wheezed, smashing the small vial in his good hand against the creature’s golden eye. “You bloody monster! You monster!” The creature fell to the side, howling in pain and Kazuki pulled Rei to the side, laying over him protectively, broken sobs wracking his body.  

“Kazuki! Rei!” It was Seijuurou. He ran over and hacked at the monster until its head rolled away, unmoving. Rei could feel his consciousness ebbing away, as his shoulder continued to burn like a raging inferno. His stomach clenched painfully again and he curled into himself, one hand on the small bump.

_Please, keep the baby safe._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and AHH rei's been in pain for too long sobs i'm sorry for all the pain even though i've finally posted  
> i promise things will get a little better ;;  
> thank you so much for the continued support!!  
> (i haven't got around to correcting mistakes yet ahh school's keeping me chained :"))


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **[Glossary]**   
>  _**MysDun (Mystic Dungeon)** \- A training room for Spellbinders _   
>  _**Undine** \- Water-type Faerie _   
>  _**Gnome** \- Earth-type Faerie _   
>  _**Sylph** \- Air-type Faerie _   
>  _**Salamander** \- Fire-type Faerie _

Rin was pacing about Great Hall, his face scrunched into a permanent frown. Sousuke placed a hand on his arm and forced him to stand still.

“Stop. You’re just going to make the courtiers panic.”

They were all watching Rin and his behaviour was evidently making all of them jittery.

“But they’re not here yet,” Rin hissed, wrenching his hand away. “They’re supposed to be back by daybreak!”

“It’s possible that the weather is making it difficult for them to return on time. At least we know they’ve left the Shigino Kingdom,” Sousuke tried to temper the king. Gou was sitting by the side, her shoulders drawn in and hands clasped together. Sousuke was torn between comforting his fiancée and her brother.

There was a small gasp - “Look!” - and they all rushed to the windows, Rin pressing his nose against the frosted glass. It was a knight on horseback - he couldn’t make out the face - rushing to the castle entrance.

Rin turned around and bolted down the stairs, the others following suit. The guards opened the door and Aiichirou staggered in, one hand on the cobbled wall to steady himself. He struggled to speak, choking out a sob instead of words, and when he finally looked up at Rin, his eyes were glistening with panic and fear. His cheeks were bruised and blood trickled down his leg.

“King Rin! Please, send the troops! They’re all hurt! And His Majesty,” he shuddered, and Rin caught him before he fell over. Aiichirou was shaking so hard he couldn’t continue, and Rin wasn’t sure if he wanted him to.

“Where are they?” Rin gripped his shoulders, firm.

“Knowling Forest. The exit,” Aiichirou managed.

Rin exhaled, rage filling him to the core. He let a servant come forward and hold his valet before he collapsed. The troops were ready in an instant and Rin and Sousuke led them forward, hastening their pace. The wind bit at them and snow fell heavily, and Rin couldn’t help but recall the heated exchange he had had with Rei before he left.

The regrets always came, he thought, bitter. A moment too late.

“Come on boy,” he spurred his stallion on, and they soon reached the entrance to the Knowling Forest. He caught sight of the group, unmoving. They rushed forward and Rin’s heart was in his mouth as he took in the devastation. The Spellbinders had collapsed in a heap, battered and bruised. Blood splotched the snow, and the knights were groaning, most of their armour reduced to cracked fragments and swords smashed in half. His heart came to a standstill as he caught sight of the centre.

As the knights behind him immediately attended to the injured, Rin pushed through, tripping over legs, to reach the centre. Nagisa was bent over Rei, crying out. He hardly seemed to have noticed the wound on his back. Kazuki was lying on his side, unconscious, one arm draped over Rei’s chest and the other, almost detached halfway. The blood pooled around the two of them. Rei’s lips were a chilling blue, and his eyes were closed. One hand was on the slight bulge of his stomach, while his shoulder bled incessantly.

Rin fell to his knees, slowly gathering Rei in his arms. “Rei,” he whispered, his voice hoarse, “Rei!”

“Rin, let him go.” It was Sousuke. “We have to move them all back to the castle quickly.”

Rin nodded numbly, and let go as the knights helped to lift the unconscious onto the horses. He saw a mop of dark hair and noticed Haruka at the edge of the group, stretched out on the ground. His chest rose and fell, but his face was ashen and his eyes, scrunched shut. Rin wanted to unsheath his sword and hack at something. He took a deep breath and let the tension seep out, even as he looked around at the number of the injured and the gristly wounds on their bodies, especially the knights. Kazuki seemed to be the worst off amongst the Spellbinders, and Rin could hardly see the puffs of breath in the air. The scene felt too surreal to accept. His ears buzzed.

When they reached the castle, the servants were in a flurry and the physicians attended to everyone. The Spellbinders who had remained in the castle were quick to help, using their magic to accelerate healing. Rin stayed by Rei, holding on to his hand as he squirmed during the treatment, gasps and whimpers of pain escaping his frozen lips. Occasionally, his eyes would open, but they were void of recognition, glazed and milky.

Rin knew he couldn’t stay by Rei all day. He had to take a look at the others as well, and see what condition they were in. He reluctantly left his husband and visited the others in the wards, relieved to see that most of the Spellbinders were deep in sleep, recuperating. Kazuki’s arm had been mended, but the scar would never fade, Rin could tell just by looking at it. He was still in a comatose state. Nagisa had been treated for a gash on his back, and he was sleeping next to the Spellbinder girl whom the other Spellbinders had to share some magic with, to ensure she would not succumb to the magic exhaustion.

Seijuurou was already sitting up but he grimaced from time to time, and he looked over at his sleeping brother, visibly relieved that he wasn’t too hurt.

When Rin sat at the bedside, Seijuurou bowed as much as his injuries would allow. The king felt utter desolation when Seijuurou’s shoulders shook. This was a man who prided himself in his skills and his work. Seijuurou never showed his weaknesses to anyone.

“This shouldn’t have happened. I failed to protect everyone. I will take responsibility,” he said, and Rin could see the turmoil in his golden irises.

“Nonsense,” he grasped Seijuurou’s bandaged hand. “You did a good job of getting all of them out, alive. Regardless of what state they’re in. Thank you. Thank you, Sei.”

The knight looked up, his golden eyes glistening with unshed tears. He nodded and reclined against the pillow, eyes closed.

Rei walked into his study and sat at the chair, lost in thought. Sousuke entered and sat with him, quiet.

“I hate this,” Rin turned to look at Sousuke. His best friend said nothing, and only listened. “I hate that I don’t have control over this- That I got angry over something stupid- Why did I stay? Maybe something would’ve changed if I went and you know- It’s just-“ Rin massaged his stinging eyes with his index and thumb fingers, swallowing down the burning sensation in his throat.

“I promised to protect Rei but that’s not what I’ve been doing. At all. I promised to protect _everyone_. When I see them in unbearable pain, beating themselves up for not doing more, like they haven’t already, it’s just-!”

Sousuke’s expression softened. “And if you blame yourself? That won’t help anyone either. If anything, I think they’ll be better off seeing your smile. Because they got home, even if they weren’t safe and sound like we wanted them to be. Now we just have to do our best to keep them alive, and help them recover.”

“If it was those Shigino bastards,” Rin growled, his anger flaring up again, “I’ll-“

Sousuke stopped him with a hand on top of his. “We’ll get to that later. For now, go stay with Rei. I’ll take care of the others."

Rin took a shuddering breath and nodded, stalking out of the room in the direction of his bedchamber. Sousuke watched him go, his eyes hardening. He stood up and walked off in the other direction.

*******

Rin was besides himself with worry, and the days passed. Rei wasn’t opening his eyes.

*******

Rei was grasping wisps of something- he wasn’t sure what it was, but felt like he _had_ to catch them. As his vision began to clear and fill with a kaleidoscope of colours, his eyes went to his wrist where the mark was winding around his arm, up his shoulder and if he twisted enough, down his back.

What…?

His hand felt heavy, like something was holding him back.

Where was he?

Images of snarling creatures and freezing cold ran through his mind and he jolted awake, stabs of pain running through his body as he bent over, coughing.

“Rei, you’re safe now!” The voice was urgent, calming, familiar..

He fell back against the pillow, forcing his eyes open. His eyes burned, and he squinted them shut again. His stomach heaved-

And he sat up again, as a new set of coughing wracked his body, hands pressed to his stomach. He felt a wave of panic rise up and Rin pushed him back down, firmly to ensure he wouldn’t struggle.

“Rei, everything is okay! Our child- She’s alright.”

Rei swallowed and nodded, taking deep breaths and trying to focus on the comforting warmth of Rin’s presence. When he could open his eyes properly, he saw Rin sitting at the side of the bed, his eyes reddened and dark rings under his eyes like he hadn’t slept for days. His hair was swept to the side in messy strands; a result of tugging at his hair too much. Rei reached out for Rin’s hand and the redhead pressed a butterfly kiss on his palm, pressing his forehead there, eyes closed.

“You’re awake,” he breathed, and when he opened his eyes, they were glimmering with wetness.

It felt like déja vu. “Good morning, husband,” Rei managed. His throat throbbed and his shoulder felt heavy and numb.

Rin squeezed his hand, a breathy laugh tumbling out of his mouth. “Good morning, husband.”

*******

It took a few more days before Rei could walk around again. The pain had dulled and Rin was by his side almost every instant. Rei found Rin’s presence reassuring during the recovery and neither found the heart to talk about how they had parted.

Miho had told Rei - “Honestly, there was a high chance that the child would not survive but you both made it through. You’re both very tenacious.”

His stomach was getting bigger. As the week passed, everyone who had gone to Shigino were recovering well. Except Kazuki. He had awoken a few times, the attending physicians told Rei, but he had fallen unconscious soon after. It was difficult to ascertain when (or, forbid the thought, whether) he would wake up again.

His arm had been patched up, and Rei was relieved that Kazuki would still be able to use it as normal when he woke up. Kazuki _would_ wake up. He was sure of it. Nagisa always accompanied him, until Rin started to shoot dirty looks his way. The blond often blew raspberries at the king and ran off to join Aiichirou in making rounds in the recovery rooms.

Rei hadn’t seen Sera in a while, given that the gnome was always occupied making herbs to help ease the pain of those who were still feeling the aftereffects of their injuries.

It was almost a week later when Rei was changing, and he saw his own reflection in the mirror. His cheeks weren’t as gaunt as they had felt, but his eyes went immediately to the unsightly scarring on his right shoulder, ugly and a jarring reddish-brown on his fair skin. As he brought his left hand to trace the scar, his heart dropped at the burns on his knuckles where his potion had splashed on his hand. He hadn’t noticed them, but they had become more visible over the days. Tears stung his eyes and he slipped a tunic on and sat at the edge of the bed, emotions whirling through him.

It wasn’t beautiful.

He fell back on the bed with light ‘whump’ and covered his eyes with the back of his arm, willing the disgust away. Rin wouldn’t ever turn him away because of something like that, yet…

“Rei?”

He rubbed his eyes furiously and sat up, quirking his lips up. “Rin.”

“What’s wrong?” his husband asked, walking over to sit at the edge of the bed. He thumbed the reddened corner of Rei’s eye. The half-Faerie averted his gaze, swallowing lightly.

“It’s nothing,” he murmured. “Don’t worry.”

“I’m not buying that,” Rin said, his tone more sharp. “Tell me. I’ll listen to whatever you have to say.”

“My shoulder,’ he said, “It’s…”

“Oh,” Rin said softly. “The scar?”

Rei winced. “Yes. The- the scar. It’s ghastly.”

Rin brushed his hair to the side, pulling him into a hug. “Rei,” he murmured into his shoulder, “Listen to me, okay? Not to your head.” When he felt no acknowledgement from Rei, he pressed on. “For me?”

He felt the squeeze of Rei’s head on his shoulder. Once. Twice.

“The scar will take a long time to heal, that’s true. And you’ll probably feel horrible every time you see it. But when I look at it, I see how brave you were, how selfless you were to protect Kazuki and everyone else. You’re beautiful, Rei. Your smile, the way you forget about the world when you’re working on potions and your eyes.. Every part of you is beautiful. And none of that has changed. I’ll keep telling you this until we’re old and withered and you finally believe me, and tell me what a wonderful husband I am.”

“That became awfully egoistic,” Rei sniffed. “But I’ll take you up on that, then. Until we’re old and wrinkled.”

Rin snorted and pushed Rei down, lifting his tunic up to plant a kiss on his stomach. “Now go to sleep. It’s been a tiring week.”

Rei nodded and crawled up to the head of the bed, snuggling under the covers. He patted the empty half next to him. “Come quickly.”

“Anything for my demanding husband,” Rin slid off the bed and flourished a bow, a cheeky grin on his face. Rei sent a pillow flying at him and Rin caught it as he fell backwards, laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so full of feelings ;;  
> when i thought of the very last scene, i was so full of pain i just lay in bed and imagined it??? like?? it's so probable because rei is so conscious about beauty, and i imagine the scarring will give him a lot of insecurities from time to time 
> 
> thank you so much for the continued support!! i'll try to update again, soon! more happiness and fluff awaits, before rin and rei have to confront the very thing they've been trying to figure out since the beginning 
> 
> (still haven't gotten around to editing previous errors)


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **[Glossary]**   
>  _**MysDun (Mystic Dungeon)** \- A training room for Spellbinders _   
>  _**Undine** \- Water-type Faerie _   
>  _**Gnome** \- Earth-type Faerie _   
>  _**Sylph** \- Air-type Faerie _   
>  _**Salamander** \- Fire-type Faerie _

Rei awoke to urgent raps on the door. He looked to the side, and Rin was not there anymore. He ambled out of bed and pushed the door open, wondering what it was about.

“Your Majesty!” Momotarou was almost shouting, “There’s an emergency! Come to the Grand Hall quick!”

Rei’s eyes widened, and he grabbed an overcoat from the bedside, slipping it on as he followed Momotarou out. The hallways were empty and dead silent. Icy cold fear gripped his heart.

“Momotarou? What’s happening?”

“You’ll see when we get there,” the young man said, and there was a slight wobble in his voice. He didn’t turn around.

The knights outside stood at attention as Momotarou pushed the mahogany doors open and led him in. The Grand Hall was dark and Momotarou pulled him to the centre.

“Happy Birthday, King Rei!”

There was a still second before a ring of flames lit up the Great Hall and Rei gaped at the massive cake before him, the entire royal family standing around it. They clapped, and some whooped as the Spellbinders increased the flames until all the torches were burning brightly. The room was flooded with light and Rei covered his mouth, his ears a bright red.

When he could get over the surprise and embarrassment, he bowed, his cheeks burning a bright red. “Thank you, everyone.”

Rin stepped forward and pulled him in, pressing a soft kiss against his lips. Around them, the courtiers whistled. Rei pulled away, overwhelmed by the burst of happiness that circled his heart. Nagisa grasped his palm and gave him a wide grin. Rin took the momentary distraction to place something on Rei’s head. Rei wondered at the slight weight on his head and he traced the shape. An oval jewel rested against his forehead. It was a circlet, he realised, belatedly. Lips parted in wonder, he pulled the circlet off to admire the handiwork.

“It’s beautiful,” he told Rin, his eyes still wide.

“Of course,” Rin smirked, and had Rei been more susceptible to his charms, he was certain he would have swooned.

“Oh, stop monopolising him,” Gou shoved Rin aside before he could lean in and kiss Rei again. His shout of protest went ignored. She hooked her arm through Rei’s and led him to the cake, where the Queen gave him an amused look.

“Well, there’s another surprise,” Nagisa quipped, raising his arm and then letting it drop.

Rei drew in a breath as Kazuki made his way through the crowd, limping. He waved to Rei, half-leaning into Aiichirou for support.

“Kazuki!” Rei broke away from Gou, reaching out to embrace the man. “You’re awake! Oh, you brave man.” 

“I could say the same of you, Your Majesty,” Kazuki smiled. “And I imagine your child will have the same mettle, given how strong she has been throughout the whole incident.”

Rei flushed at Kazuki’s words, and they held on to each other for a while longer, taking comfort in the warmth of each other’s presence. Nagisa then tugged Rei towards the cake.

“Come on, time to cut the cake!”

Rei wondered how to cut it without ruining it, but it was ruined anyway when Nagisa grabbed his hand and pushed the knife down on the cake. The blond held the slice to his mouth, and he took a bite. The delectable favour that filled his mouth reminded him of the Faerie cakes back home.  

He couldn’t help the wide-eyed gaze he turned on the cook and the man looked pleased. “Did you,” Rei gestured to the cake, “use Faerie ingredients?”

“Indeed, Your Majesty. How do you like it?”

“It’s fantastic!” Rei breathed. “It’s a wonderful flavour.”

With a hearty laugh, the man put his hands on the cart the cake was on. “I’m sure you’ll love the rest of the dishes in the Dining Hall, then!”

There was a loud cheer and everyone filed out,  rushing into the Dining Hall. There was a lavish display of Faerie and human dishes, and Rei realised some of them were a mixture of both. Rin sat him down and they partook in breakfast. Rei couldn’t have been any happier after the events of the previous week. It was a surprise - a good one - and he felt right at home.

“Ahem.” Nagisa cleared his throat as he stood up. All eyes turned on him, and his cheeks flushed pink. “As one of those who orchestrated this, I would like to express how grateful I am that we can be here and celebrate Rei. It’s been amazing being his valet, and.. given such a happy occasion, I don’t want to ruin it, but.. Last week. In the forest. I thought we’d all die. I really did.” Nagisa bit his lip.

“But Rei never once got discouraged. He kept looking for solutions and I’m so grateful for that. We’ve been planning this for quite a while so Rei fell unconscious, I wondered if - maybe our plans wouldn’t go as we had hoped - but they did! And I’m so thankful for that. As for who ‘we’ is," He gestured to the Spellbinder on his left. “It’s Sera! Despite all the panic, he helped organise everything. Everyone else who kept quiet about it to surprise Rei, thank you. I love you, Rei,” Nagisa smiled at the King Consort. “We all do.”

Rei glanced between his valet and the Spellbinder, realisation hitting him just like that. That afternoon he had overheard Sera and Nagisa, they had been discussing the surprise.

“Thank you,” he breathed, covering his eyes and Rin pulled him in to lean against his shoulder, chuckling. “I’m beyond words to describe how happy I am, that all of you have accepted me. Thank you.”

The festivities went on, and Pixies arrived at midday to send gifts from Rei’s family. There were baby clothes amongst them, and a soft smile sat upon his lips when he looked through them. Raigen had packed a whole stack of alchemy books, along with ingredients he had lacked.

It only added to the ever-growing pile of gifts in the bedchamber.

There were all manners of trinkets from the courtiers and Rin had promised him a surprise later that night. Haruka gave him a mackerel carving, and Makoto was by his side, giving Rei an apologetic glance. He merely gave the couple an amused raise of an eyebrow and promised Haruka that he’d put it up in the bedchamber. Sera crowned him with a garland of fragrant flowers, explaining that he had added a small touch of magic to make sure it didn’t wilt until a while longer.

“I’m so glad you’re safe,” he had added, squeezing Rei’s hands.

After which Rin had cleared his throat and not so subtly inserted himself between them, one hand curled around Rei’s waist. Sera covered up a laugh and walked off to talk to a group of Spellbinders. Gou, having witnessed it, gave Rin a disapproving knock to his shoulder and handed Rei her gift, Sousuke by her side.

“We weren’t sure what to get you,” and she and her fiancé exchanged a warm glance, “But we decided on this!”

“We’re celebrating his birthday, not a baby shower,” Rin pointed out, when Rei pulled a butterfly-shaped blanket out of the wrapping. Rei elbowed him in the side and thanked his sister-in-law, holding the blanket close.

“It’s lovely.”

The Queen embraced him and kissed his cheek. “Happy Birthday, Rei.” She smiled and Rei flushed, managing a small grin.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

She pressed a small pouch in his hands.”Take a look at it later."

He nodded and put in his vest pocket.

The rest of the day passed in a whizz, and evening found Rei curled up on his bed. The balls of his feet ached but most of his nausea had receded. He was stacking the presents wherever they would fit, and he finally took out the Queen’s present. When Rin entered, he was sitting at the edge of the bed, staring at the pouch.

“Huh. What did my mother give you?”

Rei shrugged, and he leaned forward, tugging the pouch open. An adorned bracelet tumbled onto his raised palm and the Faerie gasped in awe. Rin whistled and clambered onto the bed, kicking his boots off. He helped to slip it on Rei’s hand, and it clinked against the silver bracelet, settling like a comforting warmth.

“Magic?” Rin frowned, cocking his head.

Rei shook his head. “It doesn’t have any actual magic infused in it, but I’ve heard that a lot of humans give one to their loved ones to bless and protect them. See this pattern?” he traced the flowers adorning the side. “They symbolise protection and love.”

Rin gave a long-suffering sigh and plopped onto the bed. “Great, now even my mother is enamoured with you. Who is left to love me?” he whined.

Rei snorted and pulled Rin’s head on his lap. “As if the others don’t love you enough.”

“The only one who loves me is Sousuke,” Rin rolled his eyes. “But my sister took him away so I’m left with no one.”

“How about your husband?” Rei humoured him, brushing his scarlet hair to the side.

“My husband pines for someone else,” Rin turned his head, lips pulled into a pout and Rei cupped his cheeks, leaning over to catch a red-eyed gaze.

"Who does this husband of yours pine for?"

“Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps a tall, dreamy man with a comforting touch.”

Amusement twinkled in Rei’s eyes. “You know, I’ve read that it’s the pregnant wife or husband who worries about their spouse’s infidelity, not the other way around. You should trust your husband more,” he nodded, as if trying to counsel Rin.

“How do you suggest I build this trust?” Rin asked, looking up at Rei, his sharp teeth glinting.

“Well, for one,” Rei pretended to think for a while, “Don’t smother him with affection but let him know you’re always there for him.”

Rin nodded seriously, and he rolled off Rei’s lap.

“What are you going to do now, sir?”

“Ah, I’m going to let my husband know I’ll always be there for him.”

Rei tilted his head in interest as Rin hopped off the bed and fished for something in the wooden drawer.

“Close your eyes,” he instructed Rei, and the latter’s eyes fluttered close. He felt something soft on his palms and he opened his eyes, delighted. It was a small doll shaped like Rin, the prominent shark teeth and red hair giving the identity away. Rin was grinning at him.

“Do you like it?”

Rei kissed Rin’s cheek and held the doll close. “I love it.”

Rin stilled and Rei frowned. “What is it?”

“It wasn’t in my calculations!” the king groaned, burying his face in a pillow. “Now I’ve lost you to a doll! A small version of me! This is ridiculous!”

“ _ You _ are ridiculous,” Rei laughed, tickling Rin as his husband struggled to edge away. They fell asleep like that, Rin curled around Rei, one hand hanging lightly over Rei’s chest and the other, under his head. When morning came, Rin was delighted to see that Rei had cuddled the doll close to him, and he planted a kiss to his forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is it an overwhelming amount of tooth-rotting fluff??????  
> (yes, yes it is)  
> but i mean, after all the horrors they've been through, they deserve at least that much ;;  
> also next chapter will be more or less still on a fluffy tangent, with a lil' bit of hurt/comfort!!  
> thank you for your continued support m(_ _)m  
> (also!! the total no. of chapters is subject to change, because i ended up shifting things around a lot more than planned)


	15. Chapter 15

The next day, they held another meeting. The atmosphere was solemn, and Rei waited for the moment when all hell would break loose. 

He didn’t have to wait long. 

“There’s no way any of our knights would have led the party into the Knowling Forest under any circumstances. None.” It was one of the courtiers, his lips pressed into a thin line. 

“It has to be the Shigino!” one of them slammed his hands on the table, face burning with unbridled rage. “No one can trace them because the carriages are probably lying in ruins in some part of the Knowling Forest, and no one can wander in to confirm the fact.” He turned to Haruka. “Did you sense any strange magic when you left?” 

Haruka looked at him calmly. “None. The carriages didn’t contain even a single hint of an outsider’s magic.” 

“Then they must have done something to the path! In this weather, it’s difficult to tell if there’s magic,” one of the younger courtiers voiced. “Lord Haruka, in the Spellbinders’ report, it states that you found yourselves in the Knowling Forest. You were obviously heading for the safer path, but you found yourself in the forest anyway!” 

“It’s entirely possible that it was the forest’s magic that drew them in, however,” one of the courtiers pointed out. “There have been cases where a traveller wandered in, not realising that it was taking him deep into the forest. And it is snowing heavily.” 

“But we normally keep to the path that is furthest from it,” Aiichirou said softly, wringing his hands. “It’s not the first time, for the knights at least, to take the path when we sometimes have to make a trip to the other kingdoms. We managed just fine those times.” 

They fell silent, digesting what he had said. 

Rei sighed. “It’s true that we cannot head back to the forest to confirm for ourselves. That day, I didn’t sense anything when we were on the carriage so it is a possibility that the path was enchanted. But the other Spellbinders would have sensed something if it were the case. We have some very capable Faeries amongst us.” 

“But Your Majesty,” one of the courtiers stood, “the Shigino have Spellbinders on their side too. And I mean no disrespect to our own, but I’ve heard that they are powerful in their own right and delve in forbidden magic.” 

“So you’re saying that anything cast could have gone undetected.” It was Sera.

The courtier nodded, but she looked baffled. “I wonder why though. Honestly, if I wanted to take advantage of anything, I would have tried to do something to His Majesty when he was at the castle.”  

“So it could have been the Shigino, but it could also not have been them, and just a freak accident,” one of the courtiers seethed. “I refuse to accept that. We could have had a devastating number of casualties that day. I demand that we confront the Shigino.” 

“Yeah!” the courtiers clamoured.

One of them looked at Rin, imploring. “At the very least, Majesty, request that they cooperate with us for an investigation. They were, after all, the hosts and they should know well themselves that if such a thing happened, they would be the first we suspect.” 

Rin nodded. “I have already sent a letter to Prince Kisumi. All we have to await now is a letter.” 

“They’ll be here on the day of the Winter Solstice for the Winter Ball,” Makoto reminded them. “How shall we tighten our defences? We already have knights on the watchout all hour and someone by His Majesty’s side all the time. Prince Sousuke is already offering us aid.” 

“We should keep Rei away from the Shigino as much as possible,” Haruka said. “He could feign exhaustion and leave, and Rin can stay behind and keep them occupied. That way, we can have someone watching Rei and by his side at all times.” 

“Sera and I can do that,” Nagisa exchanged glances with the Gnome, who nodded. 

“That’s a fairly good idea,” Rin nodded. “We’ll have to sit on it a little more but I think we can stick with that. Rei, are you alright with it?” 

The half-Faerie nodded. “But if they have Spellbinders and Diviners, we’ll have to make sure we tighten the magic defence around the castle as well.” 

“Haru, can you help us organise that with Sera?” 

The Undine nodded.

“And I’ll get the knights in formation for that day with Makoto,” Seijuurou pointed to Makoto, who gave them a warm smile. 

The meeting was adjourned and Rin followed the knights to make further plans. Nagisa followed Rei to to Miho for a check-up. She had a Faerie tool beside her, and it amplified the strong 'thud-thud' of his child’s. Rei was overcome with happiness at the sound, and she told him that it was, in fact, a girl. 

“Right on your instincts,” she laughed. “A very strong baby girl. That’s wonderful, Rei.” 

“Thank you,” Rei smiled. “I have a feeling she’s going to be a lot like Rin.” 

“Oh dear,” Miho gave him a weak smile. “Imagine the big one and a small one running around. We’ll never recover fast enough to welcome the second one.” 

“Not you too,” Rei stared at her, aghast, as Nagisa doubled over with laughter next to them. 

“Have you no plans for a second child then, Your Majesty?” She tilted her head. 

Rei looked down at his wrist. “Well, we haven’t even welcomed our first yet. I’m content with waiting a while more before we anticipate another one.” 

“That’s true,” she laughed. “We can expect the first bundle of joy sometime early next summer. Take care of yourself, and don’t exhaust yourself too much. The strain may take a toll on both yours and the baby’s health.”

“Thank you Miho,” Rei nodded. She returned the gesture and followed him out of the room with Nagisa, reminding Nagisa to make sure that Rei ate sufficiently.

“Well, Rei, I’ll leave you in the library. Sera’ll probably join you soon, I have to go check up on the stock in the kitchen before the Winter Ball.” He was very near bouncing on his heels. “There’s going to be so many people this time.”

“Yeah, I can’t imagine what a crowd we’ll have,” Rei rubbed his forehead. “Considering the ball was already crowded the last time.”

“Exactly,” Nagisa groaned. The blond followed him to the library and promised to meet him again in the evening, and Rei walked past the tall shelves housing stacks of untouched books, just waiting to be read. He found himself in the alchemy section again, and he looked at a ladder lying against the wall, contemplating climbing up to get the book he wanted. He decided not to go against his better judgement so tiptoed, fingers barely grazing the bottom of the book he needed. With his stomach hanging low already, he couldn’t afford to be careless. Rei sighed and rested on the balls of his feet, rubbing his stomach, irritation stewing in him.

He could use his magic, but it was going to be a delicate job, considering the book was tightly wedged between the others, and if they fell, he would have to rely on his magic to stop the books. He raised his hand, deciding to give it a try anyway, and sent a small blast of air at the book. The top of the shelf jerked slightly and the book did not budge. He frowned and uncurled his palm again, and he let out a startled yelp when someone grabbed his hand and gently put it back by his side.

“You could’ve waited until I came.”

He turned around, relief apparent in his features. “Sera!”

“You have to be more careful,” the Gnome looked at him, and Rei frowned. “I know…”

Sera chuckled and easily leaned over him, pulling the book out and handing it to him. “Sorry if I made you feel bad, Rei. Here you go.”

Rei took a seat at a nearby couch, shaking his head. “It’s fine. I was just fed up with feeling so helpless. It’s amazing, being pregnant, but it makes me feel so vulnerable sometimes.”

“Is His Royal Majesty being overprotective?”

“Oh, you  _ did _ see my outburst before I left, didn’t you?” Rei chuckled. “Well, he isn’t, not anymore. He sticks with me, but he lets me do things on my own and he’s not escorting me around and being careful on my behalf all the time. It’s quite a bit release, and I think he feels more at ease too.”

“It’s good to see you’re getting along with our King,” Sera leaned against the cushion. “It’s- Well, you know, he was in love with Haruka for so long, I worried it wouldn’t work out between you two and it’d really be just a marriage of convenience.”

“Oh, I wasn’t even expecting anything of the sort,” Rei chuckled. “But I’m glad I came here and met him. It’s been wonderful.”

“The two of you are really two saps,” Sera shook his head, shoulders shaking with laughter. He sat up, holding Rei’s gaze, somewhat serious.

“Take care of yourself. Really.”

Rei nodded, surprised by the tone. “I will, and I have Nagisa and you around.”

Sera relaxed, a small smile fluttering on his lips. “Indeed, you have us. Stay away from the Shigino, in any case. It’s better if there’s no contact at all.”

“Prince Kisumi seemed very pleasant, although I can’t say the same of his aunt and uncle,” Rei fiddled with the spine of the book.

Sera leaned forward, curiosity evident in his eyes. “What do you mean?”

Rei leaned against his seat, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. “Well, Duke Eiji was hardly pleasant. He sneered at everyone and he was carrying himself haughtily. Duchess Miwa, well, she was very friendly. But I feel like there’s more to her behind that façade. Prince Kisumi seemed visibly subdued whenever she’s there, as well.”

Sera nodded. “You’re really observant, huh.”

“It’s a learned skill,” Rei laughed, waving it off. “When you’re constantly experimenting with magic and alchemy, you learn to be patient and just watch and observe.”

“You like experiments and the sort, Rei? And investigating things?”

Rei nodded. ‘What about you, Sera? Why did you become a Spellbinder?”

“Me?” The Spellbinder adjusted his glasses and they glinted in the dim light in the library. “Is it alright if I sit closer to you, Rei? I’ve never shared with anyone else before, but I think my story’s safe with you.”

Rei nodded, patting the spot on the couch next to him. “Of course.”

“I became a Spellbinder because I want to change the way things are.”

“Change the way things are…?” Rei looked at Sera. There was an unidentifiable emotion lurking in the depths of his green eyes.

“The balance we have now - humans and Faeries - who’s to say it will last? One day, it could be Faeries who turn on the humans. It’s all unpredictable. My parents - they lost their lives when I was very young, because of an incident that didn’t even have to happen. Call it history, call it a fear of the unknown, but they didn’t deserve anything. Anything. I’m not the only orphaned Faerie child. There are many us, since the Battle of Mutare. And I grew up wanting to change the things from the way they were, so when I met Prince Rin, I knew I could change something. With him, there were endless possibilities.”

“I’m sorry about your parents. I can’t imagine being torn apart from my family,” Rei looked down. 

“I’m alright. Your King took me in,” Sera smiled. 

You really respect Rin, then?” Rei asked, his eyes wide behind his glasses.   
Sera looked deeply into his violet irises, and smiled. “Yes, Rei, I do.”

And Rei couldn’t help but gaze back, because there was something hidden in Sera’s expression - behind the dimples of his cheeks - that he couldn’t quite catch.

“Ahem.”

Sera slid off the couch and bowed, his cloak fluttering behind him.

“Your Majesty.”

Rin scowled at him. “I’m not even going to respond to your mockery anymore, you scoundrel.”

Sera laughed and waved to Rei as he walked out. “Sorry for taking up your time, Rei.”

“See you around!” Rei laughed, ignoring his petulant husband.

“The library is a place for reading and gaining knowledge,” Rin said testily. “Not courting.”

“Is that so?” Rei asked, flipping the book in his hands open. “Then, pray tell why you’re here to woo me, Your Majesty.”

“Who said I was here to woo you?!” Rin spluttered, but he took the seat Sera had been at previously anyway. “Besides, it looks like you were already occupied. Although I don’t feel very sorry for interrupting.”

“You were interrupting nothing but a heartfelt conversation between two friends,” Rei snorted softly, turning to his book.

“If that’s the case, then I shall help myself,” he grunted, grabbing a startled Rei from behind and manhandling him until they were seated with Rei’s back to Rin’s chest. Rin wrapped his arms around Rei’s waist lightly and leaned back, pulling Rei with him. Rei shuffled to the side until he was comfortably leaning against Rin’s broad chest. He could feel the reassuring heartbeat of his husband, and the warmth that enveloped him was toasty and perfect for reading. Rin said nothing and settled for resting his chin on Rei’s shoulder, his breath evening out within a few minutes. 

Seconds after, his head had lolled off Rei’s shoulder and rested against the side of the couch. Rei remained in the same position until he was sure that Rin had fallen into a deep sleep. He carefully extricated himself and cradled Rin’s head, guiding him down until he was splayed out on the couch, his chest rising and falling. He turned in his sleep with a sigh, one hand wrapped around Rei’s. The Faerie had no choice but to sit at the edge with his book and tug his hand away. Even in sleep, it seemed Rin had an iron grip. Rei gave up and settled for reading the book. He was so engrossed he didn’t notice Nagisa had entered until he stepped in front of him.

“Rei, it’s dinner time. Do you want me to ask the servants to send it to your bedchamber?” he whispered.

Rei took a look at his sleeping husband and turned to Nagisa, nodding. “That would be good.”

He turned to Rin, and he leaned down. “Rin,” he murmured, his breath ghosting across the redhead’s ear. “Come on, let’s go to our bedchamber. You can have something and go back to sleep.” The King’s eyes fluttered open but he gave a soft sigh and turned his back to the half-Faerie.

“Rin,” Rei tugged at his arm. “Come on. It’ll be quick.”

There was an almost childish air to Rin as he made sluggish movements to get off the couch and he leaned on Rei, his eyes still half-closed. “Let’s go,” he slurred. 

Rei smiled and led his husband to their bedchamber. Rin collapsed in bed and swallowed down some of the piping hot stew that the servants brought in before he fell into a deep sleep again. Rei was awake for a while more, and he looked over the contours of Rin’s face. In sleep, he was peaceful and his features were relaxed. He knew his husband must be exhausted overseeing all the preparations, and he had been running about all the time. He didn’t just settle for ordering his subjects to do things for him - he regularly made rounds and talked to the people. Rei pressed a light kiss to his forehead and pulled the covers over them. That night, his sleep was peaceful.

*******

The next morning at the Dining Hall, Rei was startled to see that Haruka’s lips were an unhealthy blue, and the pale sheen of his skin and the way he shivered ever so slightly were a clear indication that he was freezing. Next to him, Kazuki was using a metallic fan in a bid to heat him up, his scarred hand resting on the table. The other seat next to Haruka was empty and Rei suspected it was for Makoto. Rei sat at the table, his hand resting on his stomach. It had almost become a reflex for him to press a hand on his growing stomach, the comfort of feeling the bump setting him at ease.

“Haruka? What happened?” Rei asked, taking in Haruka’s appearance. The man turned around, his sapphire blue eyes filled with some sort of euphoria. Kazuki gave a long-suffering sigh.

“Guess who I found by the frozen ponds. At this time of the year, nobody goes to the garden. Except Haruka.” He scrunched his nose at Haruka, who was clearly ignoring him. “And  _ every  _ single year, he passes out cold by the ponds. And to make matters worse, he was using his magic and that made him even colder. Any longer and I swear, he’d have frostbite.”

Rei gaped at the Undine. “You were at the ponds? This early in the morning? It’s freezing cold!”

“It feels good,” Haruka told him, his eyes going a little hazy.

“Haruka, you should really watch out for your health,” Queen Karen gave him a disapproving glance.

“Haru!” 

Rei turned around and gave Makoto a wave. The knight nodded in greeting and sat at the empty seat next to Haruka, hands clapped over his pale cheeks. He gasped, and pressed Haruka’s cheeks harder. “You’re so cold! How many times did I tell you not to do this again?”

“No harm done,” Haruka turned away.

“It drives me crazy when you do that,” Makoto frowned, and Rei suspected that it was guilt that shadowed Haruka’s eyes. It felt like an almost impossible task to anger the gentle Makoto.

“I’m not sorry,” Haruka mumbled, leaning into Makoto who engulfed him in his cloak, and a visible sudden ran through his body at the warmth. A small smile played on Kazuki’s lips, but Rei caught a hint of melancholy there. Nagisa took a seat next to him, speaking softly.

“Takuya and Kazuki were very close. He must miss him very much.”

Rei looked at Nagisa, startled. “Really…?”

“Yeah.” Nagisa looked down. “Kazuki was ready to profess his love to Takuya, but that happened. I think they had a big fight but before they could reconcile, Takuya… you know.”

“Oh,” Rei said, voice soft. “That’s heartbreaking. It felt like that when I woke up, knowing that I was blessed to see Rin and all of you again.”

“Rei? You alright?”

The half-Faerie looked at Kazuki and nodded, his heart contracting with a heaviness that he couldn’t quite grasp. As if sensing his sadness, Kazuki gave him a bright smile. “That’s good. I heard King Rin is going to-” His eyes went wide when Seijuurou hovered behind him, one arm wound tightly around his mouth and muffled shouts escaped him.

Rei looked at Seijuurou, puzzled. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” Seijuurou said, a little too hasty. “Nothing at all.”

Rei gave him a look, letting him know that he didn’t believe him a single bit. Before he could question the Cavalier Captain any further, the doors to the Dining Hall opened again and Rin stepped in, Gou and Sousuke behind him.

“Morning!” Gou smiled, walking over to Rei and giving him a gentle hug. “How are you today?”

“I’m feeling much better,” Rei grinned. “And you, Gou?”

“I’m good! Sousuke’s promised to take me to see some sights in Yamazaki, so we’re making the trip today.”

Rin looked at Sousuke in surprise, and the man’s usually stoic expression was dusted a light pink. “Take good care of her,” Rin elbowed Sousuke, giving him a meaningful glance.

“How long have you known me?” Sousuke frowned as they all took their respective seats at the table. Rin took a quick second to greet Rei with a kiss to his cheek before frowning at Sousuke.

“Coming from the person who promised not to lay a hand on my sister.”

“Until she was of age.”

“What?” Gou gasped. “You made such a demand?”

Rin growled. “What’s the problem?”

“So that’s why Sousuke never paid me any heed until I turned of age! That’s a horrible way to go about it!” Gou cried, her cheeks coloured red. Rin ignored her and dug into the food. Rei and Kazuki burst into laughter, and everyone present joined in, filling the room with a warm atmosphere. After breakfast, Rin pulled Rei up and asked him to follow.

Rei had no clue what was going on but the rest were all giving them surreptitious glances, despite their best efforts to avoid meeting his eyes. Rin held his hand and asked him to close his eyes and hold on to him.

“Just hang on until we get there. You absolutely can’t open your eyes.”

“Alright,” Rei agreed, shutting his eyes and letting Rin lead him through the darkness, occasionally stumbling. He heard a door creak and their footsteps echoing, and Rin grasped his shoulders from behind, asking him to stay still.

“Open your eyes, Rei.” The warm breath ghosted over the back of his neck and Rin’s low voice echoed in his ear. A small shiver ran down his back. He opened his eyes, blinking and trying to adjust to the light. His eyes widened as he took in the sight before him. 

It was a cobbled room, wood lining the floor and tables cluttered with potions, all arranged around the room. The workspace was accompanied by bookshelves fixed low enough for him to reach, and he read the labels on the bookshelves, eyes widening as he realised they were all for alchemy. In the middle, there was a rocking chair, and comfortable cushions littered around. It would make a comfortable fort of sorts. Flames flickered around the room, and there was not a sliver of cold seeping in.

“Rin,” he turned around, grasping his husband’s hand, “It’s beautiful!”

Rin laughed, rubbing a hand behind his neck, a light flush rising up his neck to touch his ears. “I thought you’d like having somewhere comfortable to practise your alchemy whenever you wanted - as well as a place to just relax and read. A place just for you. And whoever you want to accompany you.”

“It’s fantastic!” Rei grasped Rin’s cheeks and pressed a kiss flush against his lips. Rin returned it with fervour, and when they parted, they gazed at each other, lips reddened and swollen. Rin laughed and nuzzled Rei’s neck, pulling him close.

“I’m sure she’ll love it as well,” he murmured, kneeling to press his cheek against Rei’s swollen stomach.

“Definitely,” Rei assured him. Rin looked up at him, grinning.

“Considering she might grow into a nerd like you.”

Rei made a disgruntled sound and pulled away to look at the workspace. He was going to have a lot of fun occupying himself here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahh !! ! ! sorry for the late updates ;; first, schoolwork was just too much, and then i fell sick for an entire week! i wanted to fall off the face of the earth- i'm still recovering but at least i'm not bedridden orz   
> i'm so sad i couldn't post the updates weekly-   
> but things are picking up after this and everything will reveal itself!! i hope it'll be rather shocking :")   
> this chapter is not properly edited, and i promise i'll do work on that sooner or later.   
> i'll be posting the next one immediately as well, to make up for my lack of posting.


	16. Chapter 16

Rin loved Rei. He really did. However, he did not love that Rei spent every available minute in the workspace. True, he  _ had  _ asked for the room to be decorated for his husband, but at the same time, the time he had set aside to monopolise Rei was slipping through his fingers like wisps of steam. If he walked into the room to complain, Rei would give in some days. Other days, he just asked Rin to be patient and he’d end up waiting for hours, sulking and and bantering with the knights who never failed to poke fun at his predicament.

His mother had laughed at him and told him he had much more to learn about love. Even Gou gave him advice.

“You can’t lose yourself in love! And you can’t lose to love!”

On such a day he had been rejected, he lay on the pile of pillows, envisioning how their firstborn would be like. Would she have Rei’s silken blue locks, or Rin’s own unruly red? Would she be prim and proper, or more rambunctious? He already loved her fiercely, their precious child. His thoughts flickered to the Shigino, and the pain that had squeezed his heart when he had seen Rei so close to succumbing, the pallor of his skin and the hazy eyes. The Winter Ball was a mere week away. The servants were already preparing for the grand feast and he had been occupied with sending out invitations to guests.

“We look forward to visiting you!” Kisumi had signed off.

_ We look forward to seeing you or.. we look forward to seeing you fall? _

He didn’t want to believe, that his childhood friend had an ulterior motive he couldn’t see through. Kisumi had been - honest. He remembered how Rei told him of the faint whiff of magic and the pained cries he had heard when he was in the Shigino castle. There was something eerie underfoot but Rin wondered if they would ever find out.

“What’re you thinking so hard about?” Rei leaned over him, hands on his cheeks. Rin twisted his neck to plant a kiss on Rei’s stomach and said, “Wondering if I should spice things up so that we can welcome the second one even faster.” At his brazen reply, Rei’s face turned a bright red and he pinched Rin’s ear, paying no mind to the hiss of pain that it elicited.

“Why do all of you go on such tangents?” Rei grumbled.

“All of you?” Rin questioned. “Who else?”

“Sera,” Rei said, and at how Rin’s face contorted, he laughed. “I’m joking. Nagisa and Miho. They won’t let up on it.”

“Hm,” Rin curled into Rei, revelling in how soft and comfortable his thighs were. “I could nap here.”

“But we have our kingly duties,” Rei reminded him, and Rin scowled. “Learn to shirk your duties a little.”

“But you’re always doing it,” Rei teased, laughing at the way Rin’s expression contorted in disbelief. Before he could splutter in indignation, Rei poked Rin’s cheek. “See, you’re here with me again. Are you sure the others aren’t looking for you right now?”

“Leave me alone,” Rin groaned, burying his face in Rei’s thigh. “I’ve had enough of instructing everyone and confirming all our tactics. Hell, I’m sure you’d do better at it than me.”

Rei shook his head, a soft smile on his lips. “I’ve no experience to speak of, Your Majesty. Perhaps you can guide me, and I’d be more than glad to assist you. Court is awfully stifling these days.”

“Or you could help me handle my bothersome Court singlehandedly and I’ll stay with my knights.”

“They let you goof around too much,” Rei reproached Rin. “Although I can’t deny that it’s incredible to watch all of you spar. Along with Gou. I daresay she’s always enthused about it. The rippling muscles are indeed a sight not to be missed,” he laughed, sounding very much like the princess herself.

“I sure hope you’re looking at mine - and not one anyone else’s.”

“Seijuurou has a fantastic body composition,” Rei nodded. “And when Nagisa joins in the fray, I have to say I’m very impressed.”

“Today you’re just out to put a stake in my heart, aren’t you?” Rin clutched his chest in mock agony. “When I professed my love to you, this is not what I was expecting.”

“What  _ were  _ you expecting?” Rei asked, curiosity colouring his voice.

“A stuck-up brat. With a few redeeming qualities, namely, intelligence, and a good eye for art.”

“Really?” Rei frowned. “Do I give such an impression?”

“Well, I won’t say I’m too good a judge of character. But trust me when I say I was blown away by what I got instead.”

Rei smiled. “But why me? There’s a lot of eligible royalty you could have picked from. Of all, why me?” His violet eyes were glinting with interest. “I’m very… different from Haruka.”

Rin gave a soft sigh. “Well, I don’t think it’d be easy to find someone like Haru anyways.” He traced Rei’s fingers, shifting around on his husband’s thighs. “I.. wanted to find someone who was entirely different from him. I was so desperate to forget Haru, that I made a rash decision to get married. I was sure that, if I found someone, I could focus on them and forget about him eventually. But how wrong I was. Even after I’d sent that invitation, there were a thousand and one doubts that came to me every minute. Had I made the right decision? I wanted to marry a prince, but I wanted a family of my own as well. Then, I remembered about you, Rei. You were a Carrier and it appeared to me from what I’d heard that you’d make a good Consort. So I picked you. My motives were absolutely appalling. If you’re angry with me…”

“Well, that explains a lot,” Rei murmured, interrupting him. “But I’m not angry,” he brushed a strand of Rin’s hair behind his ear. “We went over this. You loved Haruka, and somewhere in your heart, I’m certain you still yearn for him. But you’re devoting your all to me - and our child. I think that’s the most precious thing,” he bent down and pressed a kiss to Rin’s forehead. Rin nodded, and pressed his face against Rei’s cotton leggings, and if Rei felt wetness soaking his bottoms, he didn’t say anything.

*******

As peaceful as that afternoon had been for the royal couple, the coming days before the Winter Ball were a mishmash of hurried maintenance to the castle, clean-ups everywhere and bringing in a large haul of all kinds of ingredients to prepare for the grand feast that came after. The maids were at it again - holding Rei still while they measured his sizes again, excited about something or the other and Rei regarded them warily as they discussed how to enhance his looks while showing off his pregnancy. He didn’t know too much about “accentuating his body” but he  _ did  _ want to look his best.

“Only kohl,” he told them, however, when they brought up dabbing various kinds of powders to enhance his cheeks. “And balm,’ he gave in, when they protested and told him he needed to remind Rin exactly who he had married in the first place.

“King Rin will fall head over heels in love with you all over again!” one of them sighed, walking around him as she wrapped silk around him.

“And then we’ll have another child on our hands before we know it,” Rei remarked, exasperation clouding his tone. When he looked up, the maids were looking at him, open-mouthed and eyes twinkling. They let it go, but he could feel unbridled joy flowing off them in waves and he sincerely hoped strange rumours would not spread around the castle.

Later, when he saw Rin, his husband looked completely frazzled.

“I’m never hosting another event again,” he plopped onto the bed, facedown. “They didn’t give me this much trouble before the wedding even.”

“They’re just excited. They love these kind of things, huh,” Rei snorted. “But I’m a little afraid of what the seamstress is going to come up with this time.”

“Well, whatever it is, you’ll look good in it anyway.”

Rei flushed at the praise and he covered his face with a pillow. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

“And here I was, thinking you’d drink the praise up. It’s true, though.”

Rei peeked out, ears flushing red at the earnest compliment. “Well, it’s rather unnecessary, considering the plan is that I excuse myself early on.”

“Well, not before you fell a few of our visitors from Shigino,” Rin scowled. “You know, I’m fairly certain a few of the sharper Courtiers had every intention to steal you away from me on the day of the welcoming ball.”

“Well, they could have,” Rei raised an eyebrow. “Considering you were out there dancing with Haruka, your eyes on him like there wasn’t anyone else.”

“And now?” Rin asked, looking sufficiently guilty.

“I wonder,” Rei pretended to think about it. Rin grabbed him by the arms and bit his cheek lightly, taking care not to press into his stomach.

“What did you say?” he murmured, lips pressed against Rei’s flushed neck, his teeth grazing the soft skin.

“I wonder,” Rei repeated, softer this time, “considering there’s a very strong contender for my affection.”

“And that contender goes by the name…?”

Rei tilted his neck slightly and leaned against the headboard, his lips parted slightly as Rin nosed his neck, and pressed a kiss on the underside of his jaw. He grasped Rin’s cheeks and rubbed circles on his cheeks with his thumbs, his own flushed and amethyst eyes bright.

“King Rin. My King.”

Rin’s cheeks flushed bright red, and Rei chuckled, pulling Rin into a tight embrace. “I love you,” he murmured, kissing the top of his head. Rin pressed his face in Rei’s neck, his warm breath ghosting over his Rei’s skin, and leaving goosebumps in its wake.

“I love you too,” Rin whispered. “Promise me you’ll take care of yourself on the day of the Winter Ball whenever I’m not around. If something happens- I don’t even want to think about it.”

Rei nodded. “I will. But - my wrist burns every time I think of the Winter Ball. I don’t know if it’s because I’m being irrational, or it’s a sign. Rin, you should take care of yourself too. Whoever is after me doesn’t have to directly attack to get at me, you know? What if you get hurt? I’m worried.”

Rin nodded and played with the tips of Rei’s fingers. “It’s alright. Just have fun first. We’ll think about the rest later.” 

Rei sent a gust of wind to the lamps, switching the lamps off. Rin let Rei turn about until he was comfortable, and then he lightly snaked an arm around his waist. “Good night, Rei.” 

“Good night, Rin.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !! the baaalll !   
>  i can't say much, lots of things are going to happen. boy am i excited-   
> (also, rin is stupidly jealous and i love how rei takes it)
> 
> this update's short, but i hope it makes up for my absence ;;   
> i'll check it again soon, i'm sure there's an awful lot of mistakes.


	17. Chapter 17

“Your Majesty, have this to calm your nerves.”

Rei gratefully accepted the honeyed slice of bread and bit into it, savouring the flavour of the fresh bread and the accompanying saccharine taste. When he was done, he dipped his fingers in the bowl of water on the table and sat back, one hand absentmindedly resting on his stomach. He he had taken a look in the silver mirror hanging on the wall. Th kohl around his eyes made them stand out, even though he was wearing his spectacles. His moisturised lips were redder than usual, and they had clipped an earring to one side. He had been told than Rin would be wearing a matching one on the other side. To complete the look, they helped him put the silver circlet on him ; the one Rin had given to him for his birthday.

His clothes were comfortable and warming, although they curved to accentuate the obvious bulge of his stomach and curved tightly around his hips and down his back. He draped his robes around himself, wondering when Rin would be done. He only had to wait a while before his husband came, every inch of him dashing. His hair had been mussed up and pushed back, and the golden earring clipped on his ear was a stark contrast to his glinting red eyes. They had rubbed some sort of powder to make him a little more fair and rid him of the dark circles that plagued him. The vest and pants had an intricate pattern, and his golden crown sat on his head, making him look every bit the regal king he was. Rin’s eyes widened as he took in Rei’s appearance, and Rei himself was once again struck by the thought that his husband was incredibly handsome. The maids, satisfied that their work was done, filed out of the room.

“You look beautiful.”

They looked at each other, speechless. Rei burst into laughter, and Rin joined him, taking a seat next to him.

“You must’ve rubbed off on me too much,” Rin interlaced his hand with Rei’s. “I can’t believe we both said it.”

“It’s true, though. The maids really outdid themselves this time.”

“It’s a little ridiculous that we’re dressing up to impress people who may very well be on their way to attack us with a pleasant smile on their faces.”

“It is,” Rei agreed. “But let’s not think about that for now. Where do you suppose Nagisa is?”

“He was helping Gou, the last time I checked. My mother was talking to Sousuke about something, probably telling him to dress up a little more too.”

“Is it alright for him to be away from Yamazaki for so long?” Rei asked, frowning. “It feels like he’s been here with us for the longest time.”

“He’s just worried about the situation. I’ve told him to go back but his father is well, and he trusts his men to take good care of the kingdom when he’s not around. Sousuke’s a real enigma, really.”

“He’s very concerned about you,” Rei nodded. “Even though he doesn’t show it, he’s always with you and enquiring about your health. He’s a wonderful friend to have.”

“Mn,” Rin nodded. “I’m really blessed to have all of you.”

“That you are,” Nagisa hopped in, grinning. “I feel like I haven’t seen the two of you in a long while.”

“Well, that’s because you were probably too busy eating up all the banquet food, am I wrong?” Rin grinned, his sharp teeth showing.

“I might have swiped one or two,” Nagisa wrinkled his nose, “But not all of it. That was Sera.”

There was a yelp of indignation and Sera poked his head in, scowling. “What are you accusing me of, you scoundrel?”

“Confess to your crimes!” Nagisa pointed to him, and the Spellbinder froze in position, mock horror running across his features. He put his hands up - and sent a vine at the blond, who ducked, and Rin scrambled out of the way, nearly toppling his chair over in his haste to get out of the way. Rei easily put up a barrier, and the vine bounced off the wall of air, rebounding and catching Rin by the foot. He shouted in indignation and pulled away, glaring at Sera.

“Why am I always victimised?! What do you have against me?”

“Well, you’re the only one who gets to monopolise Rei so much. It’s only fair, don’t you think?” Sera laughed, loosening the vine and letting it disintegrate into small specks. Rin stood up and stalked towards Sera who moved back, glancing behind him every so often and winking at Rei who laughed. Nagisa took the seat Rin had previously occupied and cheered for the two.

“I’ll root for you, Rin!” the blond cried, and the redhead seethed. Nagisa and Rei burst into uncontrolled laughter and Rin and Sera couldn’t do more than look deeply into each other’s eyes before stepping away, lest they damaged their clothes. The crackle of electricity between them was almost palpable. Nagisa slid off the chair, wheezing. The long, white sleeves of his tunic suited him and Rei told him so. Nagisa flushed with pride and stood up, offering his arm to Rei. Ignoring the scandalised look on Rin’s face, he led Rei out, winking.

“Come on,” Rin dragged Sera out, following the pair. “Nagisa, get back here!”

*******

They were all awaiting their guests in the Great Hall - the royal family, the Courtiers and the Spellbinders. The knights were positioned as planned, and the guests began streaming in in the late afternoon. They spent their time greeting the other nobility and talking to them. Rei looked at his wrist from time to time, and the two bracelets that clinked against each other.

“Congratulations on your pregnancy, Your Highness,” one of the Duchesses fluttered her fan, her emerald eyes twinkling with delight as she looked Rei over.

“Thank you,” Rei smiled, and by early evening, his face was starting to hurt from smiling so much. The sheer number of people who had wished him good health and the best of luck felt surreal. He was Rin’s Consort, and a leader to the Samezuka kingdom, he realised again.  _ This child,  _ he thought, placing one hand on his stomach,  _ I’ll protect. _

It was a while later that they were standing at the foot of the stairs, engaged in conversation with Sousuke and Gou, when the steward’s voice rang loud and clear in the ballroom.

“His Royal Highness, Prince Kisumi of Shigino, accompanied by Duke Eiji and Duchess Miwa, of Shigino.”

There was a sudden hush in the ballroom - like a spring being wound beyond its potential. The tension was thick in the air and everyone watched as Kisumi walked down the stairs, usually expressive features void of any feelings. His eyes flicked over the people present in the ballroom and they landed on Rin. Behind him, the Duke was supporting the Duchess as they made their way down, and her beauty had never seemed so alluring. She swept a smiling gaze over the crowd, using her free hand to tuck a curl behind her ear. Rin soundlessly slipped his hand into Rei’s, and Rei squeezed it slightly, shifting a little closer to touch his husband’s shoulder. The warmth was comforting, and he felt how everyone around them seemed to move a little closer to them. When Kisumi stopped before them, he offered a civil smile and held out his hand to Rin.

“A pleasure to see you again after a decade or so, Your Highness.”

Rin took it easily, grinning with his normal fervour. “It’s good to see you too, but we don’t need formalities, isn’t that right?” He took the outheld hand and shook it, gripping it firmly. Kisumi bowed and they returned the gesture, before he exchanged formalities with Rei. He nodded to the rest and stepped back to let his uncle and aunt greet the Royal couple. For a second, it seemed like the Duke would lift Rei’s hand and kiss it, but Rin was looking at him with a cold, hard gaze and the man settled for a handshake and a bow. The Duchess smiled sweetly at Rei and curtsied. Her eyes rested on his stomach.

“I hope you’re doing well since we last saw you, Your Highness.”

Rei bristled - and everyone along with him - and the sheer hostility from both sides only served to worsen the tension.

“Come on, let’s all dismiss the past,” Kisumi said, his voice echoing in the deafening quiet of the ballroom. “I’d much rather we celebrate the Winter Ball with pleasantry and laughter. What say you, Rin?”

“I agree,” Rin nodded, looking out at the people. “Let us enjoy the festivities without.. harbouring any hostility.” He nodded to Kisumi and gestured to those before them, spanning the wide area of the ballroom. “Let us begin the festivities.”

Rin never left Rei’s side, staying with him as they talked to Kisumi. The Duke and Duchess took to the center of the ballroom and they watched as the musicians began playing. The tune was as haunting as it was alluring and Rei couldn’t help but feel discomfort settling in his stomach. The small smile playing on the Duchess’ lips and the mostly stony expression on the Duke was unnerving. They were just as he had seen them when they had visited. He knew they couldn’t risk telling Kisumi about the incident on the journey back, much less ask him about it. There was no doubt the courtiers were waiting for the exact chance to accuse the Shigino.

There was hardly a sign of the knights but Rei knew they were at their stationed positions, in case of any trouble that arose. He saw the Spellbinders mingling in one corner, and Nagisa standing next to Sera. They were talking quietly, Sera’s head bent as he spoke to Nagisa (who was significantly shorter than him).

“Rei?”

He looked to Rin, who was looking at him worriedly. Rei gave him a reassuring smile, hooking his arm around Rin’s. “I’m feeling alright. Don’t be so tense, you worrywart.”

Rin scowled at him. “Can you blame me?”

“I’m simply unable to bring myself to do so. My husband is too good,” Rei gave a mock sigh of despair. “What should I do?”

“Perhaps you would like a dance instead?” Nagisa hopped beside him, holding out his hand with a cheeky grin on his face. Before Rei could place his hand on his palm, Rin swatted the outstretched hand away and poked Nagisa in the shoulder.

“You’re awfully uncouth for a valet.”

“And you haven’t lost that jealous heart of yours,” Nagisa snickered, and Kisumi burst into laughter, lightly punching Rin’s shoulder.

“I missed this,” he sighed, when he ran out of breath from laughing too hard. Nagisa and Rin looked at Kisumi, and Rei knew that they were looking for traces of their childhood friend in him. It was the first sign of the cheerfulness that he had possessed during the visit that was appearing now. He wondered if Kisumi was simply feeling too uptight because he was on unfamiliar ground. Taking note of the knights and Spellbinders who had accompanied the Prince, he knew, however, that they were very well-equipped for a fight if it broke out.

His eyes landed on the large clock opposite him, resting on the marble wall of the ballroom. The seconds ticked away and it was most fascinating. Next to him, Nagisa, Kisumi and Rin had begun talking about something. As he watched them, Nagisa glanced up briefly and caught his eyes. He continued laughing but the unspoken message rested in his magenta eyes.

_ Now. _

Rei gave him an imperceptible nod and grasped Rin’s hand lightly. The redhead turned and looked to Rei, a knowing look in his eyes. “I’m going,” Rei mouthed near his ear, thinking about how inappropriate it was that he was enjoying the way Rin’s eyes flashed. Rin nodded.

“You’re not feeling too good? Do you want me to come?”

Rei shook his head. “I’ll retire to the bedchamber early. I apologise for such a rude gesture,” Rei bowed to Kisumi, and the pink-haired man shook his head.

“Please, go ahead and take your rest.”

As Rei’s eyes briefly hooked on Kisumi’s, he remarked the faint glow around his pink irises. He nodded to the Duke and Duchess watching him from the far corner and made his exit, and the knights led him out in the direction of his bedchamber. He took a different turn from usual and walked down the empty hallway that would lead him to the Mystic Dungeon. He had planned to meet Sera and Nagisa there, and they would accompany him for the rest of the night, until the Shigino left. Their constant presence was a relief and he was glad that they had been the ones tasked to stay with him. He couldn’t risk falling into danger and endangering his child’s life again.

As he walked down, he slowed down. His steps echoed in the dark hallway, and the flames flickered. His shadow elongated and shortened along the wall, and he could feel his heart’s thuds growing louder in his ears. He swallowed the paranoia down and took a deep breath, willing away the images of the incident from months ago - when the mysterious attacker had grabbed Tooru singlehandedly by the neck, and squeezed the breath out of him. His wrist burned like it had been branded.

He called on a faint barrier of air, encircling himself. It felt more reassuring. He would have to wait only a while more - his attendants would be there soon.

It was a sudden, faint twitch. The agonising pain in his wrist gave away to warmth that felt like cold nights with Rin buried against him, throwing his legs over his thighs and complaining about the cold. He looked down, pressing his hands on his stomach. There was another twitch - it felt like bubbles popping away in his stomach - and another. It was a sort of childish delight that ran through him when he realised that it was their child.

Her first kick.

He paused, turning around, overwhelmed by the urge to run back to Rin and tell him. He could half-imagine the response - widening eyes and a large grin of delight. Maybe he would lift him up, or cry and try to press his cheek against his stomach and feel for a kick.

“Rei.”

He jerked in surprise, instinctually aiming his barrier of air in the direction of the voice. Sera’s hands were raised, and he stood where he was, next to the pillar. Rei let the barrier down, a sigh of relief escaping him.

“Sera, it’s you.”

“Sorry I’m not whoever you’re looking for,” Sera laughed, approaching him. “Why’d you look so torn?”

Rei smiled at him. “I’ll tell you later. Where’s Nagisa?”

“He got sidetracked by Kisumi so he’s taking a detour here. While he’s on his way, shall we head to the MysDun first? Sorry for taking so long.”

“it’s fine,” Rei shook it off, as he took a step in the direction of the dungeon. He turned around, raising an eyebrow when Sera didn’t follow. “What’s wrong?”

“There’s another way that’s less conspicuous,” Sera pointed in another direction. “It’s a mostly unused secret passageway. Nagisa and I thought it’d be safer to use this.”

Rei frowned. “Why didn’t Rin tell me that?”

“He still suspects there’s a spy amongst us. It wouldn’t be wise,” Sera told him, taking his arm gently. “Come on, let’s be quick.”

“Alright,” Rei agreed, following Sera. “I hope the Shigino don’t have any secret agenda. They seem antagonistic, but I don’t think they’re horrible through and through.”

“You’re very compassionate,” Sera told him, as they began to walk step in step. “And encompassing. You’re willing to see beyond the bad.”

Rei turned to him, a questioning smile on his lips. “Is Rin not so as well? And the rest of them here. They’re all willing to give it a chance.”

Sera pushed open the door to a room Rei had never been to, before. He stepped in, looking around the granite walls, a deep-seated unease rising.

“They are, perhaps,” Sera smiled at him, and it looked a little sad. “But you’re different. You look for other solutions.” He took his coat off, and the green vest he was wearing had a deep v-neck that Rei unwittingly caught himself looking at. He coughed in embarrassment and was about to turn around, when he noticed a little patch of skin that peeked out from the vest. Sera’s skin was unmarred except for the small spot where the skin curled and looked as gnarled as an old oak. His mouth felt bitter as he took a look at his fingers - the same kind of winding, twisted skin.

_ Takuya was lifted into the air, his hands around his neck as he choked and struggled. _

He had flung the vial at the attacker-

He looked up at Sera’s eyes, his own widening as the wind rushed past his ears and the room shimmered like it had been covered with an invisible veil. A gasp tore his throat as Sera gave him another smile - still a little melancholy. His lime green eyes were hard.

“Your compassion and care are too much to a fault, Your Majesty.”

“But-“ Rei gasped, stepping backwards. “You can’t be- Why?!”

“Perhaps you should ask your King. And your King’s sire.”

Rei scrambled backwards, reaching for the latch of the door but a vine shot past him and broke it off. The barely noticeable layer of magic concealing the true nature of the room crumbled and Rei took a shuddering breath at the cold that enveloped him. The snow seeped in through the cracks in the dark room and encircled him, chilling him to the core. His stomach began to ache, and he could feel a series of flutters in his stomach. He placed his hands on his stomach protectively, bringing up a barrier of air before him as Sera took a step towards him, a gentle smile on his face.

Rei shouted, but his voice was lost in the roar of the snow that roared outside. Where was he?

Sera broke through his barrier and grabbed him by the arm, tilting his chin up. Rei glared at him, hot anger coursing through his veins as tears streaked his cheeks. “Bastard,” he spat. “You bastard.”

“Indeed,” Sera observed calmly, as if he were on a leisurely cruise. “I regret that you had to be the one with the Spiraal, Rei. Regardless, I will have you come with me.”

Rei did not struggle - his stomach throbbing more and more by the passing second, and his fingers were chilled and numbing. Sera pulled him closer and the room collapsed around them. It was some form of magic that kept the rubble from falling on them and he was led through the blinding snow into a waiting carriage. He could feel the air crackling with unpleasant magic, and he closed his eyes as he was pushed inside none too gently. Sera nodded to the driver and the carriage started off with a neigh, and the last thing he felt before he passed out from the excruciating pain was Sera extracting the bracelets from his hand, and the darkening mark on his wrist as it became visible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AT LONG LAST-   
> was it surprising?? i sure hope so. i'm posting this at a time i'm incredibly sleepy so there might be ridiculous mistakes! if there are, please let me know, and let me know what you think about what happened!!


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